I love and appreciate when things go according to plan. Typically my plan. Yes, I’m an #Enneagram1.

Naturally, detours are not my friend. They’re time-suckers and plan-killers. They’re inconveniences. The destination is the same, and we know the normal route is quicker, and yet someone somewhere decided to close the road.

Last week I had plans to go to a friend’s house for coffee. That morning she let me know there was a detour at the end of her road. My normal way of driving there was interrupted. I’m not a big fan of surprises so I was thankful for the head’s up. The crazy part: what should take about 30 seconds from the street corner to her house would now take 10-15 minutes.

That would seem like an absurd waste of time to some. But God has been showing me there’s something special about a detour. It takes us down a new path we wouldn’t normally travel. It gives us time to reflect and space to process. It provides grace to see things with eyes open wide.

It shifts our perspective. If we’re open to it. If we’re aware of it. If we’re expectant.

The first beautiful thing about this particular detour – my dear friend drove all the way around the detour from her house to meet me at a spot I could easily find on my own, just so that I could follow her along the detour and not get lost.

My heart softened in that moment when I saw her car waiting over the peak of the hill, her face smiling and arm waving out of her open window. The gratitude that swelled up in my heart. I have this amazing friend who would be my tour guide. Who would take the journey with me.

As we drove I couldn’t believe the physical beauty all around. Pennsylvania is amazing in October as the leaves turn, but this winding road and bright colors put it on full display. It was a sight to be seen.

I needed this time to take in the beauty of God’s creation. I think He planned it that way.

And then, a song on my playlist caught my attention. It’s one that I overplayed early on and now I subconsciously avoid it. But on this morning, on this detour, it hit me in a fresh, new way. The lyrics came alive and my heart was washed by the tears flowing from my eyes.

I needed to remember what God says about me; that my identity and worth are found in Him, and that I am loved by Him. This detour was a gift, to believe and receive and know that I’m not alone. He is with me, and He’s delighted to be.

The destination was the same. I still got to visit with my friend. We chatted for a couple hours over coffee; we laughed and I cried. She encouraged me to keep going.

But if I hadn’t taken that detour to get there, I would have missed all these beautiful things along the way. The friendship. The foliage. The freedom.

How often do I insist on my way, my plan, and miss His gentle whisper to take a detour?

Maybe we don’t always need the quicker route. Maybe we need to slow down sometimes. Try a new path. Discover the beauty in the detour.