As a former overachieving perfectionist, I confess that I still adore planning, order and having a clear, known and set path of excellence. After all, that is just fine with our God, Who is a God of order and not of confusion and Whose very Name is excellent. But being a God of order doesn't mean that God will do things in the way or in the timing that we ask, think or expect, nor does it mean He has any obligation to tell us what His plan is. He is after all, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Ancient of Days and the Beginning and the End just to name a few. He is the Omnipotently Sovereign LORD [all powerful Ruler over everything]. May I briefly tell you why that is a good thing and why we would do well to surrender to God as we navigate through life abiding in Him? Sovereign means He has supreme authority and dominant power to govern, and LORD means our life is ordered and directed by Him in our COMPLETE SUBMISSION to Him. As God's creation, when we become His children by accepting Jesus, that means our lives are no longer our own, but in fact are His. And what loving Father would have evil plans for His child or not provide every good and perfect gift that supplies all their need? Is this submission to God as Sovereign LORD easy? ---> Not always. Is it possible? ---> Oh Yes [by His Holy Spirit that lives within us as Believers]! Is it good? ---> Affirmative!!!
So, what happens when a child of God, like this overachieving perfectionist, has to reroute? Number one, they must do a heart check to ensure complete submission to God. This starts with asking: "Am I being led by The Holy Spirit or led by the world, the Devil or the flesh"? Sometimes God reroutes us and sometimes life in this broken world reroutes us; but whatever causes the plans to change, God can and will use the opportunity to reroute us to something that is altogether lovely. The Truth is, God will never drive us into a ditch, pothole or dead end. In fact, God will use the reroute to get us to a place where we were meant to be all along and may not have expected. Believe me, though some family, friends and spiritual leaders later told me they were waiting for me to realize the ministerial calling on my life, I had no desire [read: zero desire] to step into active ministry and was creatively content in academia and business as a lazy, rote, pew warming Christian.
Thankfully, God sovereignly gave me an ear to hear and obey His Voice and call when life rerouted me via a near fatal injury in 2012. During my heart check, I realized a couple of things; first, I had to learn how to be fully led by The Holy Spirit in my walk of Faith and in my life. And second, when we are being rerouted, it may likely be one of the most manifested expressions of God’s sovereignty that we will see displayed. Why? Because reroutes force us to completely rely upon [i.e., submit to] His supreme authority and power to align our pathway and make our way smooth when it may be or appear to be rocky and treacherous. The conclusion being that the singular answer to life's "Whys" is God's sovereignty.
Now, God's sovereignty may at times feel uncomfortable for our earthly, finite minds and flesh, but it is actually the cushiest, most comfortable place to be. Why? Because here we get the chance for step number two of a rerouting: To completely rest in and rely upon God to take the wheel during the scenic [and sometimes twisty] road of rerouting. For me, abiding in God as Sovereign LORD allows me to rest...to rest in Him and in the Truth that yes, He will work things out for my good and for His glory, in perfect Divine timing and in complete Divine totality. God needs no do overs, pauses to rest, glasses of water or phone a friend's...He does it right the first time. And if that first time includes a rerouting, according to our earthly plans, trust that it will fit right in with His Divine plans.
And finally, number three is that we get to receive the reward at the end of the rerouting. God's rewards can vary from overwhelming joy to a Holy Spirit kiss to a piece of your favorite childhood candy. Let us keep it simple and not overcomplicate God by metaphorically boxing Him in, chaining Him up or limiting HIs capacity. God is simply God [in all His extravagant grace, mercy, forgiveness and love] and He longs for us to rest and abide in Him as not only our Savior but also as our LORD. Enjoy the rest.
Takeaways for you to remember in a rerouting:
#1. Heart check.
#2. Rest.
#3. Receive.
Want to enjoy some of the Scriptures inspiring this entry? [NLT unless otherwise noted]
Yours in Christ!
Dr. Quahana
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