Let’s talk for a moment about the detours of your life. You’ve had to take many of them — we all do.
We set out with a certain destination in mind for our life’s journey. We think that once we arrive, we’ll find the love, health, creative satisfaction, and abundance for which we’ve always longed.
But how many of us ever have our longings fulfilled in just the way we’d planned? On the journey, we end up taking many detours. Among these are the relationships that bring us pain instead of fulfillment, the career endeavors that leave us exhausted and confused instead of energized and fulfilled, the creative pursuits that start out with such promise but end in an equal measure of disappointment.
When we look back, it shocks us to see how greatly the detours contributed to getting us where we are today. Rather than being a tangent from the original journey we’d planned, they became the heart of it! And this holds true not only for our personal lives but also for our life as a congregation.
What are we to make of this? How can we understand it in light of our Christian faith?
This Sunday, we’ll learn from the experience of the Apostle Paul, who was headed for Bithynia but ended up in Troas (Acts 16:6-10).
Travelling far afield from our planned destination can be exceedingly frustrating and disheartening. But this Sunday, as we explore “the surprising possibilities of life’s detours,” we’ll discover the spiritual resources that can transform our perspective and bring unexpected hope and joy into our lives.
Let’s have a fabulous first Sunday of summer together!
Evan