Life is filled with many distractions that keep us from focusing on the work God has given us to do. But many times what appears as a detour is exactly what we need to get to where we are going. What seems like a distraction might actually be meaningful wanderings – shaping and preparing us for what’s ahead.
To be sure, we’re likely engaged in useless distractions as we try to keep up with the latest current events, political drama, or social trends. These are not necessarily bad things, and there’s a place for staying informed. But all too often our focus here robs our attention from our actual domain of influence.
All the same, staying focused doesn’t always include a straight linear path. Often we will find ourselves down many twists and turns of life that don’t immediately seem like they’re directly related to our mission. But, as we live by faith, these wanderings might serve a purpose we couldn’t plan or otherwise arrange for ourselves.
Like the Good Samaritan, we might be faced with issues that demand our attention but that weren’t part of our day’s agenda. Our original plans are disrupted and delayed, yet not without meaning.
Of course, while this might be easy to see with a man left half dead beside the road, it plays out in big and small ways throughout our life. This might be giving attention to the pressing issues of our wife and kids, navigating drama with our coworkers, or giving our time to work on a project for someone else.
Whatever it looks like, our time and attention is spent on matters other than our planned objectives. While in the moment it might feel like we’ve failed to accomplish our given task, when we take on each of these matters in faith, we trust God is at work even as we seem to wander from one issue to the next.
In the end, don’t fret when your day wanders down unexpected paths. These become meaningful wanderings as you take each step by faith.
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