Rerouting

I mentioned briefly in my Aquathlon race recap that there was confusion during my 1 mile swim. I was part of the first wave to start and since swimming is a strength for me, I decided to start out at the front of the wave. I tried to pace myself, reminding myself that this wasn’t a sprint and it was important that I found my rhythm. However after rounding the first buoy and heading towards the second I noticed that the buoy I had been looking for wasn’t there anymore.

I spent several minutes of wondering if I was aimlessly swimming or if I was actually on the course. After seeking out much advice from the volunteers who were in the kayaks and collaboratively following those around me, I eventually made it back on course. I still don’t know why the change or what happened, but I will tell you in the moment I was pretty frustrated. “Do I just swim to the end skipping the full course?” I thought.

And it was during the rest of the swim that the Lord taught me a lesson. You see, when you are swimming you can’t exactly take a break. So when the course changes in front of you, you must keep moving. And so in the confusion, that is exactly what I did. I didn’t know where to go, but I also didn’t know what else to do. It was either drown or keep moving forward.

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever been on a course, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually and gotten rerouted? It sure does throw a wrench in all of your plans, huh? Well it definitely did mine. I, along with the other swimmers around me, was confused. Where do I go? What do I do? Thankfully the persistence paid off and when I knew I was back on the correct route I chose to let go of the frustration and find my rhythm again.

Has there been a buoy in your journey that has been canceled or moved? Maybe like me, it was right in front of your eyes and was then all of a sudden taken away? Or a failed adoption after the birth parents already said “yes?” Or a failed class right before graduation? Or a canceled IVF transfer after months of anticipating the big day? Or a break-up right before the much desired engagement.

I don’t know why you have been rerouted, but I know that when the Lord reroutes you it’s always for your good. It might be to protect you from something, it might be to teach you a lesson or it might be because you were on the wrong path to begin with, but it’s always for your good.

Don’t let a new route cause you to grow frustrated or quit. Keep on swimming and you will get back on the correct course. Allow people to cheer and encourage you along the way. When you cross the finish line, it will be worth all the difficulty you faced during the course. There will be people to congratulate you for finishing and you will even be rewarded with a medal at the end. Whatever the race is that you are participating in, trust that you are on the right path and if God reroutes you, always remember it’s for your good!