Kyle rubbed the back of his neck and yawned. Jenna glanced at him from the passenger seat. “Are you tired? Do you want me to take over? You’ve been driving a long time.”

            Kyle glanced her way. “That might be smart. This road trip is great, but the driving part does get old after a while.”

            Jenna pointed up ahead. “It looks like there’s a pullout up ahead. Pull over and I’ll drive. But you have to promise to talk to me so I don’t get sleepy.”

            Kyle laughed. “It’s a deal. A break from driving is all I need. I don’t need a nap.” He pulled off the road and switched seats with Jenna. “Tell me what’s been going on with work. You said you’re unsure about it.”

            Jenna checked the rear-view mirror and pulled back onto the road. “Remember how I had those two job offers at the beginning of the year?”

            Kyle nodded. “Sure. We talked through both of them and you prayed about it. God led you to the job you’re in now. Are you afraid you made the wrong decision?”

            Jenna bit her bottom lip. “Maybe. I keep seeing postings from that other company. They’re doing some really good work. I like where I am, but I can’t help feeling like I’m missing out. What if I went the wrong direction? What if I’ve slowed down my career by taking the safe job?”

            Kyle frowned. “But sweetheart, you prayed about it. You must be where God wants you to be. And wasn’t that other job a longer commute?”

            Jenna shrugged. “Yes, but that’s not a big deal.”

            “You say that now, but adding 45 minutes to your commute every morning and evening really adds up. You wouldn’t be able to go to Bible study during the week, and we’d have to eat dinner so late. Not to mention the fact that you’d have to get up so much earlier.”

            “I guess.”

            Kyle glanced out the window. “This is really beautiful. Where are we?”

            Jenna’s eyes widened. “You took your phone off the map?”

            Kyle smacked his forehead. “I assumed you were pulling the GPS up on your phone. I think we might have missed our turn. There’s another pull out up ahead. Let’s figure out where we are.”

            Jenna pulled the car to the side of the road and gasped. “Kyle, look!”

            Kyle followed Jenna’s gaze. This wasn’t a random pullout with parking spaces. It was a scenic overlook. They exited the car and moved toward the edge of the road. Sunlight bounced off the spray of an enormous waterfall. The water cascaded over a mountain, the light forming a rainbow around the base of the falls. He glanced at Jenna, her mouth slightly parted and her eyes wide. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and they stood, gazing at the sight, wordless for several moments.

            Finally, Jenna leaned into him and spoke. “I had no idea this was here. And to think, if we’d been following the directions we’d planned, we would have missed this.”

            Kyle chuckled. “Maybe that’s what God is trying to teach us.”
            Jenna turned toward him, her brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

            Kyle brushed a hair back from Jenna’s face. “We planned to take the straightest, most logical path to our destination. But if we had, we would have missed this wonder of God’s creation. I can’t help but think about your job situation. If you had taken that other job, maybe it would have led to a promotion faster. But what if God has you at your current job because of the amazing things He has for you along the way?”

Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!

God, we don’t know what You have planned for us, but You tell us it is more than we could ask or imagine. Thank You for guiding our paths, even when we don’t quite understand Your plans. Sometimes we think we know best. Sometimes our plans make the most logical sense. But You have the bigger picture in mind. Please help us be open to Your leading, and help us follow Your plans for us. What we think is a detour might lead us to a beautiful blessing. In Jesus’ name, Amen.