A Detour is Not a Dead End

Happy New Year!!! Yes I know it's not the first but it's my first entry of 2016. We usually spend a few days or even weeks in December and January collectively reflecting over the year. It's a time when people make new goals or resolutions. During reflection, we're happy about the goals we accomplished over the year. You may have a goal or two or maybe fifty leven (yes fifty leven lol) that were not accomplished in 2015. Shoot you probably don't have goals completed from 2013. Well you know what?

A detour is not a dead end.

Remember everything works together for the good of those who love the Lord. This doesn't mean everything will be good but everything will work for your good. I want to share a few examples from Genesis. Please bear with me.

Ishmael and Isaac - Even though Abraham and Sarah took matters into their own hands, God's word still proved to be true with the birth of Isaac. God was even able to use the descendants of Ishmael to fulfill another purpose.  Ishmael married a woman from Egypt and was lacking nothing. Now don't go purposely creating Ishmael situations in your life. We don't want to take advantage of God's forgiveness.

Jacob, Leah and Rachael - Not your ideal story. Although when I would watch Love & Hip-Hop (NY and ATL) I would refer to the love triangles as JLR situations. I'm not encouraging being a sidechick or waiting on a married man but we know the JLR story. Despite the detour of her husband marrying her sister first and not being able to bear a son for sometime, Rachael gave birth to Joseph. With the sister wives competition the 12 Tribes of Israel came into place.


Joseph - Now talk about a detour! He's a descendant of Isaac. However, the Ishmaelites were the ones who transported him to Egypt. Yes, the descendants of Ishmael took Joseph to Israel. They bought him from his brothers. The same brothers that were born in the sister wives competition. Joseph ended up being second in command of Egypt. We learn from Joseph though situations are meant to harm us, God will use it for our good.

The title came to me months ago but I didn't have any content for this entry yet. Isn't that how life can be for us? God gives us the promise (title) but we don't have the fruit (content) just yet. Just like this entry took time to come into place your fruit is still growing. You may be working at this great company and have a dream of being a CEO, then bam you're fired from your job. That doesn't mean you're not going to be a CEO.

The fruit of this title came into place at the end of the Fall 2015 semester. I had a friend who was dealing with the issue of failing her teaching test after several attempts. One of my friends made the decision to move back home to complete school. I thought about a friend who played football at another university before transferring to FAMU to play football a couple of years ago. Speaking of football, I have a cousin who lost his football scholarship and now he's back home. I can't forget my dear old friend who hasn't completed college yet but is now taking care of his family. Then there's me. My graduation was pushed back a semester. How many of us know people in the above situations?

With all these situations in a time of reflection of 2015 the wheels in my head began turning. So many people get lost in detours as if they are dead ends. God's timing is perfect. His will is perfect. Everything in life will serve a purpose. So though your plan(s) may not have worked out don't fret. Continue to trust God. Even in the detour route God is working. When you're driving a detour route aren't you still moving to your destination?  In Genesis 39:23 (NIV) it reads, "...The Lord was with Joseph. He gave Joseph success in everything he did." Just like God was with Joseph, He is with you.





Relax, Relate, Release,

~BreAllyse

P.S. Stay tuned for some changes to "Release with BreAllyse"