Just when I thought I’d arrive, I see that I’m not where I want to be.

I don’t know exactly how it happened. One minute, I think I have the map correctly laid in my hands; the next minute, I see the end of the road. It dawns on me that I haven’t seen a trail sign for some time. Did I miss something?

Rerouting may become necessary for a host of reasons. Did I forget the instructions? Did I plan improperly, or is the original path no longer an option? Perhaps, in a bout of audacity, I purposely deviated from the route I knew to follow. Where am I now?

Whatever the cause, I’m now at a dead end.

What do I do?

Too often I’m tempted to throw my pack on the ground and collapse in a puddle of tears. I’m lost! I should’ve known better! Where did I go wrong? I’ll never recover from this!

Sometimes grief is appropriate, especially in times of loss or moral failure. Coming to the result of my disobedience to God, in particular, can make me feel hopeless. I could’ve arrived smoothly! Why did I insist on ignoring God’s way and choosing mine? I’m so sorry, my Lord. Please forgive me!

In the midst of this grief, whether by my mistake or some other cause, I often treat a dead end as a final verdict on my life, my hope, or my adequacy. I tend to quickly absorb the haunting message of the bushes in front of me: “You tried, and you missed it. Your journey is over.”

But that isn’t at all what God tells me.

God reminds me that, yes, I’m in a different place than I expected, but God makes good even from my road blocks. This doesn’t always make the road blocks themselves good. Instead, I can expect God to make something better from what I see right now. I may need to turn around, but this doesn’t have to be the end.

As I grapple with disappointment and loss, I gather my things and the pieces of my broken heart. I slowly regain my bearings. I repeat to myself the truths that God has given: “surely I am with you always”; “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love”; “My salvation and my honor depend on God”; and so on.* When I no longer recognize my surroundings, I hold tightly to the One Who never changes. I hope and pray for enough wisdom to stay the course, no matter the outcome.

While sometimes painful and often humbling, rerouting requires steps backward before continuing forward. It’s rarely fun or enjoyable, but hopefully by remembering that dead end, I make notes for a more steady response or better choices in future.

Whether we arrive or need to reroute, there’s always something that we can take to the next journey. Join me next week for the fifth and final installment of “Doing”!

*Bible verses quoted are Matthew 28:20, Psalm 103:8, and Psalm 62:7, from the New International Version (NIV).