Life’s Detours: Lessons from My Weekly Calendar

By

Desiree Future

Some time ago, I had a few days off from work. With the economy being what it is, going away was simply out of the question. Instead, I created a plan to do some things I don’t normally get to do as much as I would like.

Normally, I would create a calendar on my phone to keep track of my list. This time, I wanted to do it differently. Armed with my dry-erase pen and board, I created a calendar of things for the entire week.

I started my schedule from Sunday to Saturday. My board looked packed with stuff to get done for each of the seven days. Two doctors appointments previously scheduled and a trip to the laundromat were a must-do. Everything else could be erased just like the dry-erase board.

I had planned to get several days of writing done, one day of trying a few new gluten-free recipes, and an afternoon at the movies. Included was to hunt for winter boots because living in the northeast, it gets really cold, and snow is also possible in the colder months. It was safe to say that I had a pretty busy week.

My doctors appointments went well. I got a clean bill of health from both. My laundry took more time than usual. I had found a ton of great sweaters at the thrift store.

Now, as for the rest of my itinerary.  Well, let’s say I did a lot of erasing. In my mind, I wanted to stick everything in my jam-packed week, which I normally can’t do. Except for one little caveat, I forgot my body has a mind of its own.

You see, with health issues comes my operating at a slower pace. My mind can be racing a hundred miles a minute. However, sometimes my body can barely make it to five miles a minute.

With that said, the calendar that I created, God erased a lot of it. He had me doing something that I didn’t even know I needed. That was relaxing. My body hurt so bad that I had no choice but to put my feet up and just breathe.

A few months ago, I went out to run my errands. Oddly enough, I had to go to three different towns to get what I was looking for. With it being a Saturday morning, of course, the stores were busy and the parking lots packed.

On my way home from the first store, I ran into a roadblock. For some reason, the police detoured traffic around a circle. It was weird because instead of stopping me from going into the circle, he had me make the full turn, only to route me back where I came from.

Leaving the second store, the main street nearby was closed due to construction. It took me almost ten minutes to get passed two blocks. With my stomach growling and being tired, I just wanted to go home. That was not the case as I still had another stop to make.

After that, I finally headed to my third and final store before going home. No traffic getting there, and the store wasn’t too busy. Perfect, or so I thought. The headache started as I was on my way home. The town was paving the main street. Which, coincidentally, was the road that led straight to my place, although in another town.

After spending almost twenty minutes navigating detours, I was one block from my house when my phone rang. My friend had just left an engagement and wanted to know if I would go out to lunch with her before she headed home in another county. I made a U-turn and met her at one of our favorite restaurants.

God had changed my calendar once again. He always knows what’s best for us, even if we don’t know ourselves. So, if you have to erase a few things or skip them entirely, remember God is working it out for your good. What have you had to erase for something better?

Ecclesiastes 3:1 Stay faithful, keep trusting, and let His timing shape your destiny.