Bumps and bruises.

A skinned knee, scraped elbow are just a couple of examples of being a kid. They may slow the kid down for a bit, but before long, they forget about it and continue playing as if it never happened.

What about life’s bumps and bruises we receive as adults; not physicality, but mentally, emotionally? Do you allow it to slow you down and give up, or will you let it give you the determination to go forward?

It’s easy to feel like life is treating you bad with all the problems coming your way when God is taking you to your destiny. This is because before you can ever get to where God wants you to be, He has to do some twists and turns.

Often times when there is construction on the highways, there is a detour to reroute you around the situation. Similarly, God will take us on a detour because He is constructing something in our lives as well. Granted, detours are anything but convenient. They take you out of the way. They take longer than you originally had planned to travel. But they are necessary.

God is more interested in your development than your arrival. He cares more for your character than your comfort, your purity than your productivity.

So, the next time you get a few bumps and bruises in your soul, remember detours can disappoint, momentarily. But when you allow them to produce hope, God promises that hope will not disappoint.

Romans 5:3-5 - Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.