Our journey to “grandmother’s house” last week was a far cry from the picturesque scene of a horse drawn sleigh through the snowy woods. Although not literally, our trip to visit my husband’s parents was closer to being dragged through a river and lost in woods. All day, it seemed like there were forces working against us to get where we wanted to go and do what we needed to do. Have you ever had one of those days?

Our plans for the day were simple enough–my husband and I were going to see his aging parents to help them out with some chores around the house they were unable to do. We had a couple of errands to run on our way but fully expected to get to our destination quickly and easily so we could get to work. Instead, the 60-mile trip that should have taken maybe an hour and a half with our added stops ended up being close to a three-hour journey, filled with obstacles at every turn. Clearly, someone or something did not want us to get there.

The first hurdle was self-inflicted, albeit unexpected. It was the middle of the week and late morning, so I didn’t anticipate the 15-minute wait at Starbucks for my expensive, hand-crafted coffee. I even thought I could “beat the system” when I saw the very long drive-through line and quickly pivoted to place my order through the app so I could pick it up inside. That would be quicker, right? Apparently not. But by then I was committed, so I had to wait. So finally after waiting much longer than I had hoped, coffee in hand and feeling a bit impatient with the delay, we headed out. There was one more quick stop to make but had no reason to expect any other delays.

Yet just a few minutes down the road, we hit our next roadblock, and it was literally just that–the road was completely blocked. Cruising down the open road, traffic suddenly came to a complete stop because of a police blockade. Traffic was being rerouted to go back the way we had just come–back towards Starbucks. We had no choice though. There was nowhere else to turn. Clearly, something terrible had happened down the road. So we followed the slow line of traffic being directed to make a u-turn to go right back to where we started from. We had left the house more than a half-hour earlier but were still only about 5 minutes away.

Feeling a little frustrated now but trying to keep a positive attitude, we headed out in a different direction to get to the main highway that would finally get us to our destination. We just had one more stop along the way. That next stop was about 20 minutes away, and this time we traveled in that direction without any hindrance. We felt relieved to have the delays and roadblocks behind us. We were ready to get our next errand completed and finally get to mom and dad’s house.

The next detour was a quick stop at the house my brother is having built so we could check on the work that has been done and take some pictures for him and his wife. They live out of state, so this is the only way they can see the progress with their new home. The house was along the way going to my inlaws, so it was easy to incorporate into our plans for the day. We were even looking forward to seeing what had changed since our last visit there, so didn’t mind the additional delay. We even laughed a bit when we turned down the wrong road when we were trying to get to the house from memory. We lost a few more minutes but didn’t mind too much this time. We would only be at the house for short time.

The house looked awesome! Last time we were there, it had only been framed out, but now the drywall was up, so it was really taking shape. My brother and sister-in-law are going to have a lovely home. I couldn’t wait to get a couple of good pictures and some video inside to share with them. So I jumped out of the car and headed towards the house being very careful, as I was very aware that it was a construction site and could be dangerous. In fact, as started my video, walking towards the open garage, the last words I said before the screen went black were, “I am walking slowly and carefully so I don’t fall down.” It was at this moment when I did, in fact, fall down onto the concrete floor of the garage, with my phone crashing to the floor, like my body. My left knee took most of the impact, but my elbow and shoulder got banged up a bit too. I ended up with some scrapes and bruises and feeling pretty sore that day and the next, but overall was okay. But the fall just compounded the delays in our little trip and the feeling that something was trying to keep us from getting there.

Nonetheless, we pressed on. We were still an hour away from mom and dad’s, but we were going to get there. In that next hour, we faced traffic on I-4 (I know, big shock) and had to make an uplanned stop to get gas, so our delay got longer and longer. But FINALLY, more than two hours after leaving our home, we pulled into the large, golf-community where our parents live. It was still about a five-minute drive from the entrance to their house, down a long, winding road, beautifully lined with trees. We could finally take a deep breath and enjoy the slow drive down the pretty path. We were almost there. No more roadblocks, hindrances, or delays.

Then the tree limb crashed to the ground in front of our car. It was literally just one or two feet in front of us. Just a few seconds later, and it would have smashed right onto our car. It could have landed on the car hood or even worse, the windshield, and it came out of nowhere! Well, of course, it came from the tree above, but from our perspective, all we know is that we were nonchalantly driving along and suddenly a huge log slammed to the ground right in front of us! I had to screech to a stop to avoid hitting it or being hit by it. It blocked the entire road, and we could not pass. We were a bit shaken up but had to get out of the car to move the limb and debris from the road. My husband and I, along with the driver from the car behind us, had to work together to get the road clear. It was just crazy and truly convinced us that forces were working against us in our plans for the day.

Ultimately, however, just a few minutes later, we did finally arrive at mom and dad’s house. We did get to help them take care of the tasks in their home. Our mission was accomplished, despite the barriers and delays along the way. In fact, we were able to accomplish even more than we had planned going there. What we didn’t know as we fought to get there was that they had an even greater need that day, and it was divine providence that we were there to help them with that need. Maybe that was why it seemed like everything was working against us getting there? I can’t be sure. But what I do know is that God knew that mom and dad needed us that day and that even though the journey to get there was frustrating, difficult, and even harrowing, He was bringing us there to honor and serve our parents with love. And I am so glad He did.

Sometimes the journeys of life are more challenging than we expect. Sometimes what we think should be a straight shot from point A to point B becomes a circuitous path over the river and through the woods, and sometimes the river and the woods are pretty scary. But difficultly in the journey does not mean that we are on the wrong path. Sometimes we can be right in the middle of God’s will, fulfilling His purpose and plan, even if it was hard to get there. The road doesn’t always have to be smooth and free from trouble for us to be in God’s will. So when you are having one of “those days,” weeks, months, or years, don’t give up. Press on. After the challenges you face, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep going. You never know what is on the other side of your journey and what God has in store until you get there. I know you can do it. 🙂