Blog – 10-9-19 Barricade the road that goes Nowhere; grace me with your clear revelation. I choose the true road to Somewhere, I post your road signs at every curve and corner. I grasp and cling to whatever you tell me; God, don’t let me down! I’ll run the course you lay out for me if you’ll just show me how. Psalm 119:29-32 (MSG) I read the words above in my devotions this morning and the words leapt off the page. This is exactly what the cry of my heart has been this year. “I will run the course you have for me, God, but just show me how and where you want me to go!” Have you been there, my friend? Have you run into some barricades on your way to your dreams? Have you gone down roads you thought were from God but led you nowhere? Are you searching for the road to somewhere? Like most of us, I’ve found myself on roads that haven’t ended up where I hoped. I’ve had ideas and dreams that felt like they came from God fall apart. I have wasted time and energy going down a long road that ended at a barricade. I’m left wondering if I heard God wrong or what the deal is. God is showing me very clearly this year that I need to trust that there are blessings in the barricades. There have been tons of physical barricades in my travel journeys this year caused by road construction and flooding. I get frustrated every time the interstate gets shut down again because of the continued flooding. I get impatient when I discover another road is closed because of the work they are doing on our interstate locally. Barricades seem to be everywhere I look. Yet what do those physical barricades do? They keep us from danger. They redirect us to a better, safer path to our destination. They warn us that the road we’re on is under construction and probably impassable. The barricades God puts in our lives do exactly the same thing. The path may seem straighter and quicker one way, but there may be hidden dangers we can’t see that God is saving us from. What looks great and awesome to us may actually be a path to destruction. I’ve had a lot of practice dealing with spiritual barricades this year as projects I’ve worked hard on have been shut down. I’ve had to adjust time and time again as roadblocks have been thrown in my path. I’ve had to overcome a whole lot of frustration as things I thought were coming to fruition continue to be rerouted. So how do we as people of faith effectively handle our emotions when we reach those barricades? How do we practically cope with the frustration of those roads that end up leading us nowhere? I won’t lie, it’s been hard. It’s been extremely frustrating at times. My cry has been “why, Lord!” more than once. God and I have had many, many conversations about the direction He wants me to go. Yet I can say with all honesty that I absolutely believe and trust that every barricade has had a blessing hidden in it. I know the roadblocks have been for my good, even when they haven’t felt like it at the time I reached them. I’m still waiting to see if the road I’m on is leading to somewhere in some of the situations I’m facing, but I know it will be revealed in God’s perfect timing. My cry needs to remain the one above, “I’ll run the course you lay out for me if you’ll just show me how.” I will continue to go to God and do my best to stay on the road He is revealing to me. I will trust the detours are for my good and not throw a fit. I will choose to be obedient and follow His path to the best of my ability. Join me and let’s choose to see the blessings in the barricades! Hugs and love, Jill