How Are You Facing The Detours Through Illness?

Detours can be adventures or frustrations, depending on our attitude. Laura shares.

“You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand” (Psalm 16:11).

Life produces many detours. Perhaps it is as simple as driving two miles out of our way while road crews reconstruct a local bridge that has worn from many travelers traversing it. Or maybe it is larger detour in which we have to turn totally around and take an opposite direction, looking at something in a different light.

We can ponder these detours in two ways–with dread or hope. Detours can frustrate and anger us. They can cause us to lose hope and direction. We can decide we are no longer going in the right direction and give up. Or we can look at them as opportunities; opportunities to approach life differently.

Plans may not be fulfilled but detours will produce possibilities. And God joins us on our detours, knows the direction we will take and our destination before we get there.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

I remember the day I left my counseling job. Tears flowed down my cheeks that September 2011 day and I questioned God; asking Him why He was taking me away from something I loved? While there is still sadness about ending my beloved career I now can see God had other plans for me.

This detour has produced other pathways. Some have been very difficult to travel–as chronic illness certainly has challenges. But there are successes and joys too that would never had been possible without the guidance of our Father.

For He truly knows the plans He has for each one of us. And I will be the first to admit that it is difficult at times to trust in these plans but it is necessary and wise.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to remember that despite our resistance to change, You are with us on our journey and are our great comfort. Help us to turn to You in prayer and listen as You guide us through this life. Amen.

About the author:
Laura Seil Ruszczyk lives in New York with her husband and three children. She is a retired elementary school counselor who discovered her love of writing about 35 years ago. Laura is the disability/chronic illness advocate for her church and also enjoys running a HopeKeepers group. She is writing a book about her illness, dysautonomia: the deregulation of the autonomic nervous system. She had a pacemaker implanted in October 2013 as a result of dysautonomia slowing her heart rate.

What detours have you taken on your journey?

If you are looking for a theme song for your detour you may want to start with “One Foot” from the group Building 429. It is about how we don’t need to know where God is leading us but all we have to do is keep our eyes on him and keep putting one foot in front of another. I am adding this one to my playlist! I hope it encourages you on days when you feel lost by those detours. -Lisa