“I missed our exit!” I said aloud to Mabel Joy. “How is that even possible?”
We make this drive often, but today I felt distracted and after missing the exit, we found ourselves on a grand detour. I glanced in the rear view mirror at Mabel Joy, who also seemed distracted. Most of the time she sits patiently in the back seat, but today she was up and down, looking out the window, unable to get settled or relax.
“Great. A missed exit, a nervous dog, and now I’m going to be late.”
In the middle of my grumbling, I noticed a car in front of me stopped in the middle of the busy street. A little further in the distance, a white lab swerved in and out of traffic, dodging cars and in danger of getting hit. I slowed the car, and my first words were, “Oh Jesus, help!” I was certain this wouldn’t end well. The frightened dog was not only running from the cars, but from everyone who tried to catch her. Her frantic state kept her darting back out into the middle of traffic. Another car missed hitting her, and I pulled to the side of the road, not realizing I had rolled the window down. The dog was heading my way, and in my frazzled state, I had forgotten Mabel was in the back seat. I saw an opportunity to get the dog to safety.
“Oh Jesus, I need my dog to bark. Bark, Mabel Joy! Please!”
I was pleading for a miracle, because our Mabel does not bark. Since we have owned her, she has only squeaked what sounds like little chirps. But I didn’t need chirps. I needed a loud, excited bark to coax the wayward dog our direction. As it weaved back out into traffic, I turned and saw that Mabel’s head was sticking out of the window. Now I realized why she had been pacing and seemed uneasy. And then I heard it. A loud, commanding bark from the back seat. Not just one, but a beautiful stream of staccato barks. My dog barked as if her life depended on it. As if the life of that beautiful white lab depended on it! I jumped out of the car and kneeled in the middle of the street, praying that the white lab would hear the barking and come to me. She stopped, listened, and then ran straight for me and into my arms. I took her to the car and looked into her eyes. She looked just like my Holly. My legs shook like limp noodles, and I took deep breaths to calm myself.
Her frantic owners ran over, tears streaming. Someone had accidentally left the gate open, and she got out. They talked fast, relieved but still shaken. “How did you get her to come to you? Nobody could catch her! It’s a miracle you were here!” After I returned the dog to her grateful owners, I got back in my car and sat for a moment, feeling flustered. Then I turned to Mabel and saw her big brown eyes watching me, waiting.
“Mabel, you barked!” I said joyfully. She looked content and happy with herself, no longer pacing and anxious. I was so proud of her.
As I sat behind the wheel, not quite ready to pull back into traffic, I realized the prayer I pray every morning had just played out in front of me. “Lord, let nothing I do today be an accident. Orchestrate every single step.”
I missed an exit, took a detour, and God used us to help save this dog. And Mabel Joy barked – a miracle itself! Too often, I have grumbled about missing an exit, taking a wrong turn, facing an annoying delay or an unwanted detour. But that day, I was once again reminded that it is in the unexpected roadblocks where we are most likely to encounter teachable moments and miracles. Things may not always go according to my well laid plans, but God has greater plans waiting that I could never have imagined.
I need to remember to relax, even during the unwanted detours, because that is where we often find preparation, reflection, new perspectives, miracles, and rest. We can rest in the detours if we choose to see it as an opportunity. Detours are not derailments. Delays are not denials. God is still working, and so we can slow down and enjoy life. I love the quote, “It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast, but you also miss the sense of where you’re going and why.”
The next time you miss that exit or encounter a roadblock that takes you on a detour, enjoy the ride. God has a bigger, better plan and his GPS will never take you down a dead-end road. Happy traveling! #godhasgreatgps #happydetours
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