Have you ever been walking a path that you have felt God is leading you on, only to find a number of dead ends? How many of us take those dead ends as a "sign" that God doesn't want us to continue the journey?
I have been in those situation several times. What I have learned is that we should "never put a period where God has put a comma. I have learned that those dead ends that we experience in life don't always mean we should end the journey. There may be a detour or a pause in the journey, but not an end...not a period.
What I have learned is that I need to regularly gift myself with the time and space needed to pause, rest, reflect, and be present with the Lord without distraction. I need this in order for me to know, understand and follow God's path. It requires regular submission and a humble surrender to God.
I have often used the butterfly analogy with my children when they face difficulty. As a parent, when my children struggled and faced times of hitting a dead end, I wanted to fix the situation so they didn't have to hurt and struggle.
A butterfly must struggle out of its cocoon in order for it to eventually fly. If we help the butterfly out of its cocoon and don't allow it to struggle, the butterfly will never fly and it will die. Humans are just like a butterfly...if we constantly fix the dead ends people face instead of allowing them to struggle, they will not grow, flourish and eventually soar in life.
So when you are feeling a dead end on a journey you believe God is calling you to follow, I encourage you to embrace the struggle. Pause and gift yourself with time to reflect and humbly surrender to God. Pray for the wisdom and patience needed to trust His timing to continue the journey.
Never put a period where God puts a comma...Never end a journey where God is asking you to pause.
