The Shortest Way vs. The Best Way

When I was a kid, I loved reading the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, where at the end of a page you have two or three choices to choose from, and you turn to the corresponding page based on your choice.   However, I did things a little differently than most kids. I was concerned about missing something, so every time I reached a page where I had to make a choice, I used a piece of paper to mark the page. That way, every time I reached a dead end, I could return to the original page, make the other choice and keep going.

I wanted to keep making the right choices in order to get to the result I wanted; and even if I made all the right choices the first time, I still wanted to go back to see where the other choices would take me.

God sees our lives similar to the way we look at the Choose Your Own Adventure books. We can look ahead to see the result of each decision in the book; God already knows what will happen based on the decisions that we make.

Over the past few years I have learned more about trusting that God knows the best way to get to the destination He has created for me. That does not, however, mean that it will be the quickest way to our destination.  

At times, it may even look hopeless, or not make any sense at all.

Quickest ≠  Best

In Exodus 13, God was leading the Israelites out of Egypt. However, He did not lead them by what they would have considered the best, quickest route:

 "When Pharoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, 'If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.'"  Exodus 13:17

Even if a path is shorter in distance, it does not always mean that it is the best way to go. God knew the Israelites were not prepared for the war that was sure to happen in the Philistine country, so He lead them the longer way. This definitely wouldn't make sense, on the surface. However, God leads us down the path He has prepared us for.

I have seen this to be true in my own life in many areas: I did not meet my husband until we were both at just the right point in our lives (even though our paths undoubtedly crossed at least a couple times years before we officially met). Five years ago, I was not prepared for my career to go in the direction it is now going in. Two years ago, I would not have been prepared to help my mom adjust to life without my dad.

Maybe you are going through similar situations. Or maybe your situations are a lot darker and full of unimaginable pain.  Remember that God loves you, and He is preparing you for what's ahead, just as He prepared you for the things in your past.