Redirection

I packed my heaviest winter coat. I refolded my fleece-lined leggings and threw in another set of thermals. I checked the weather again on my phone, fingers crossed the storm would have dissipated. Alas, another wave of ice and snow would be pouring out soon. Resigned, we made the decision to cancel our trip. 

All of the planning and booking and preparing had provided much excitement and anticipation. We were getting out of our day-to-day and heading for adventure! Until the weather wound up our wandering. 

We were disappointed to say the least. Who would have guessed that we wouldn’t be able to fly into Texas of all places due to weather?! You guys know I don’t fare well in the cold, but I was willing to forgo my warmth in order to experience Waco.

As the day had drawn closer to our departure, those around us tentatively inquired whether we were still planning to go. Emphatically, I would respond that I had doubled up my gear and that we would make the best of whatever conditions we were met with upon arrival. Ben, my ever-realistic counterpart, allowed me this optimistic outlook for a while, then finally showed me that the governor had declared a state of emergency in Texas. I just couldn’t accept that all of our planning and good intentions were for naught.

Sound familiar? Maybe not planning a trip, but planning your day and your life? Maybe you’ve heard those around you trying to redirect you, but you know your way is best. This is usually how it goes for me. If I have been gritting my teeth and wading through the trenches, plowing straight through the thick rather than pausing to seek God’s plan, it begins to feel like trying to fit a square peg into a circle.

And it’s not that the things I am trying to force are bad. In this example, planning a trip with my husband is a right and good thing to do. Wanting to join a new group or start a new business ..these are great! But if God has something else in mind for you at this point in time, it’s just not going to pan out. We can save ourselves a lot of headache and heartache (and in some cases, backache) if we invite him to show us his plan for us instead of continuing to refold the same plan again and again.

In this season, as I continue towards my goal of abiding, I am seeking to walk in surrender. If that means surrendering my plans for His, ok. If it is surrendering my comfort for his control, ok.

As you know, we launched the podcast last week. I asked my mom what she thought of it. She obviously liked it, I mean she is my mom and wouldn’t tell me any different. But she said she knew that wasn’t something I would typically do. I’m good with my blog and writing my thoughts for you guys. I don’t mind public speaking when I have a prepared script. But I 1000% hate being caught off guard or having to speak off the cuff. My two brothers are gifted in this, being natural orators who can captivate a crowd and make others think they know what they’re talking about. But I’m more content to hang back and blend into the crowd.

Still, when God said “Speak”, I said, “OK”.

The word I received this week is this – You can’t let past hurt and disappointments guide how you go into new situations. You may think you’re being proactive and cautious, but really, you’re dragging old stuff into new settings. If God is moving you somewhere out of your comfort zone or to a place that doesn’t make sense to you right now, don’t fight him on it. Relinquish your need to know all the details, and trust that God is the waymaker we sing about. Allow yourself to be redirected.

As I write this particular post, I am sitting sipping coffee in Savannah, GA. I’ve been here a million times. It certainly isn’t Waco, TX. But we have found new adventures here and have been afforded time for rest. And I’ll be honest, in our season of chasing children, this was the redirection we needed for this weekend.

Where do you need to be lovingly redirected? What are you trying to make happen that you can’t seem to get any traction on? Pray on it, pray over it, pray through it. Your final destination may not be where you had hoped it would be, but there will be beauty, even there. Refocus in order to see that redirection is not rejection.

Isaiah 55:8-9 ““For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

Isaiah 30:21 “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”

Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Want to listen instead of read? Follow our Salty but Sweet podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Click here https://anchor.fm/saltybutsweet or https://open.spotify.com/show/5saok6NjhjYceenuXSbMCY?si=ICOODpBjTwOICylCmp6Z3Q&utm_source=copy-link