Living in a small town does not afford me many opportunities to indulge in my favorite cuisine as often as I would like. Often we must travel about 45 minutes to an hour to go somewhere special. That, of course, means breaking out the GPS and navigating a new route every so often. However, it does not always end up the way we plan!
I love trying something new, but when it comes to my old standbys, there are some restaurants I simply cannot pass up!
Red Lobster, Longhorn, Buca de Beppo, Carrabba’s, and Margarita’s Mexican Grill are some of our favorites, but there is one that stands out to me as the star of the show – Chipotle!
I know, it’s not very fancy, but it is my very favorite place to eat. I love Tex-Mex food, and even though it is considered to be fast food, I am impressed with the quality and the flavors of these monster-sized burritos. I can’t get enough!
Unfortunately, the closest Chipotle to our home is about 60 miles away. It’s a bit far to go just for the sake of going there, so we usually try to plan a stop as we go somewhere else in the area. With all the amazing places to eat in Atlanta, it is funny to me that Chipotle usually ends up being our go to place!
Since we travel often, we typically look for our favorite restaurants on our GPS in various cities and states. As matter of fact, we depend on our GPS for just about everywhere we go.
What is a real adventure is when the GPS would take us on back roads, in shady neighborhoods, toward abandoned buildings that at one time housed our favorite restaurants. We have a better app now, but for a long time, we had to depend only on what was available, even if it wasn’t always updated.
How frustrating that can be sometimes! We know where we want to go, but the path does not always take us there! Imagine your mouth watering for some succulent Mexican food, and you end up at a closed down building in the middle of nowhere.
Have you ever experienced that frustration? Not just a restaurant, but trying to travel to any place but ending up in a completely different location than you intended. It is not the same as being lost; you followed the directions. The problem is using a faulty source.
It is similar to a time when we were house shopping when we moved to this town. We used our GPS as we looked up numerous addresses, but one in particular took us to the middle of an empty field and said, “You have arrived at your destination.” What?
How often does this happen in our lives? We think we are heading toward a particular destination, but we end up finding ourselves in a completely different place than we intended. I am not necessarily talking about restaurants or houses either, but simply life.
Some dream of a perfect marriage with 3 well-behaved super children, but tragedy kills that dream.
Some strive toward their dream career and have the door slammed in their faces.
Too often dreams and destinies are interrupted by closed doors, betrayals, injuries, illness, failures, sabotage, mistakes, accidents, bad choices, sin, etc. Just like our GPS, the path we follow does not always take us where we are trying to go. Sometimes our own choices take us off the path, and sometimes outside incidents will veer us off course.
What can we do when that happens?
I can tell you that all is not lost when you end up in an empty place. When your dreams are shattered, it is not too late to change your path. When you feel lost, you can have a guide to put you back on the path.
What is so important to understand is that every single decision we ever make puts us on a path that leads to a particular destination. We cannot expect to go one direction but end up in a completely different place. We need to be aware of all the consequences of our choices. If we simply give in to whatever whim that comes to our mind, or we just do whatever we feel like doing, or say whatever we feel like saying, we will most definitely lose our way.
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12 ESV
The question remains, however, what if an obstacle bumps you off course that has nothing to do with your choices? For example, when your spouse is unfaithful, or your child is in an accident, or you battle an illness that sets restrictive limits on your abilities to navigate your path? Grief, depression, loneliness, stress, anxiety, and broken relationships can also stunt our progress. So, what do we do?
1. Accept. Come face to face with your disappointment or loss. Assess the damage. Acknowledge the hurt. Then, go with the flow. We cannot change what has happened, but we have power over our response. Take some time to evaluate your fork in the road and prepare your mind to accept a new route. Sometimes we have to come to the point of saying, “This is just the way it is. These are the cards I have been dealt, so these are the cards I’m going to play to the best of my ability.” Do the best with what you have and go from there.
2. Bring your hurts and disappointments to the only One who can heal and restore you. God knows that we will face pot holes, detours, and road construction on our path. He knows how to deal with them! He cares so much for you. Place your heart in His hands and trust Him to heal you and restore you. He can take every disappointment and use it to make something beautiful in your life. You will see!
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10 ESV
I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, Joel 2:25a ESV.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 NLT
3. Recalculate your Route. Ah, those famous words of our GPS’s when we take a wrong turn! Accepting our challenges does not mean that we are stagnate or stuck. We do not have to stay in our pit and wallow in our lost path. It is time to find a new path. I will tell you that the very best GPS to recalculate our route is the very Word of God. I urge You to search in Scripture for your answers. They are there! The Bible does so much more than merely giving pat answers for our difficulties. It is the blue print to help us navigate the very best path for our lives.
The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8 NLT
4. Forgive and move forward. This does not mean that you are saying that what happened to you was OK, nor does it minimize your hurt or the damage done to you. However, the only way you will ever be able to move forward is to simply let it go. Put it in God’s hands to handle instead. Do not allow a bitter root to grow and hold you down by its oppressive grip. Be free and accept His peace.
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Romans 12:19 NLT
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 ESV
5. Follow your Guide. You are never on your own to find your own path. You have been given a guide, the Holy Spirit, who loves you and wants only the very best for you. He will lead you every step of the way if you will only let Him. You will never go wrong when you follow Him!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26 ESV
And whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21 HCSB
6. Take responsibility for your choices. We cannot do anything to change the actions or attitudes of others, however, it is up to us what we will do with it. Whether or not we wanted this fork in the road, we have to take the responsibility of choosing which way we will go. Once we have accepted our detour, received healing, researched our new route with Scripture, have forgiven and allowed ourselves to move forward, and we have yielded our lives to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we are well on the path toward a blessed destination. Our choices from here are our responsibility. There is no place to blame anyone or to depend on someone else to do it for us. We must take that first step and keep on walking!
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. Deuteronomy 30:19-20a NLT
It is time to get back on the path toward your blessed destination. Do not stay in a state of defeat any longer or allow the frustration to become a permanent road block in your life. Regardless of your dream, purpose, goal, or desire, that obstacle in your path can become an asset instead of a loss. You can conquer it and arrive at a much better destination than you ever dreamed. Follow these steps and find your path. It is up to you!
God bless you, and may you walk in victory and abundance in your life!
Lots of love,
