Day 22—Dead-ends and Detours

You know how you wait and wait and wait for the chance to have that coveted interview, and then finally the day arrives and you head into it with great expectations? Well, that day came and went for me today. What surprised me is that it didn’t turn out like I imagined it would.

I’m a simple Christian really. And so I pray ahead of time about things like this—for mental sharpness, for a relaxed and calm demeanor, to be myself without pretenses, and for God to lead me during the process. Nothing fancy or flowery. It’s how I approach life. I move along in life in the belief that God is leading me, and that God has a stake in what happens or doesn’t happen to me. I also pray for things like this after the fact, and if I’m especially sharp and alert, even during things like this.

Sometimes the outcome is pretty much what you expected. Sometimes it’s a surprise. And sometimes you come to a dead end. It’s never pleasant when you get that sinking feeling in your stomach as the gravel road that you’ve been driving on in the middle of the country strangely comes to an end even though the map says it doesn’t. Opps. “Guess this road doesn’t go to there after all,” you hear yourself think. Suddenly you have to come up with a Plan B. It’s a bummer.

But I guess most dead-ends in life actually turn into detours, don’t they? Detours that are unmarked, unanticipated, and unplanned. You don’t realize that you’re on one until you have can't go any further and have to turn around. And way you deal with a detour is… you follow it until it takes you back to the main road again, where you can pick up another route to take you to your destination.