When the Detour is Your Destiny

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1 KJV)

I sat in chapel at Bible college my freshman year, starry-eyed with dreams for the future. I was convinced that being a missionary was my destiny, and I was excited to fulfill my purpose in the world. If you had told me then what my life would look like four months down the road, I would not have believed you.

On that warm, sunny October day in Oklahoma, the Lord nudged my heart when the pastor shared a powerful message about a truth I’d never realized. The Israelites could have taken a faster route to the promised land, but the Lord in his great wisdom took them on a detour because he knew their faith wasn’t yet strong enough to face the vicious enemy tribes from whom they would take the land flowing with milk and honey. When they arrived at their destination, they were finally prepared to face whatever stood in their way. They had seen their God perform miracles time and time again—manna from heaven, water from a rock, and many others. Their faith was strong because they knew that nothing was impossible with him.

I sensed the Lord telling me that I would be taking a detour in my life journey, but I didn’t know what he meant. Fast-forward four months to February 2017, and I was watching my dear mom lug my suitcases down the stairs of my dorm because I was too weak to carry them. I remember the effort it took just to put one foot in front of the other, but at that point I didn’t know why I was so sick. Life was surreal that day, but it was more like a nightmare than a dream as we drove away. On the plane I numbly watched the landscape below change from the brown fields of Oklahoma to the snow-covered trees of Maine. My future looked as bleak as that landscape stripped of color, and I felt a kinship with the barren branches of the trees clawing the sky. My life’s purpose had been stripped away, and my soul felt bared and my heart cold.

At home, I lived on the couch and dragged myself up the stairs every night. As the numbness wore away, I seethed in silence and asked the Lord for the reason behind the why. I confess I wasted my days wallowing in self-pity and denial, yet the Lord was so good and so merciful to me despite my bitterness. He miraculously enabled me to book an appointment with the doctor I needed even though he had a full patient load. I had to be interviewed to become a patient, but I was accepted by God’s grace. My diagnosis was Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid. It was comforting to know the reason behind the formerly unexplained symptoms—I had lost some hair, gained some weight, lost energy, developed multiple food allergies . . . The list went on and on. But I still struggled to accept my diagnosis.

I felt as though my life was over, but the Lord was sweet to me in that valley. He gave me strength when I was weak, hope when I was hopeless, healing when I was broken, and yes, a new purpose when my life felt meaningless. I finally drew the courage to ask him what was in store for me next and what he wanted me to do. I remember his answer vividly, and his voice was sweet as he whispered to my heart, You gave up another dream for my sake once. That dream is my will for you now to fulfill with the gift I have given you.

Of course, he didn’t say it in those exact words, but the meaning couldn’t have been more clear or poignant. I had always loved writing, and I had dreamed of publishing a novel. However, when God called me to Bible college, I didn’t think publishing was his will for me.

Was I ever wrong! I had written “The End” to my novel Atoning for Ashes in January 2017, and it sat untouched on my laptop. I was content to know I had completed such a beautiful story. In the spring and summer of 2017, I edited and polished it, and I also took some writing classes. I kept praying for direction, and the Lord led me to the Writer’s Edge service. I submitted my manuscript and prayed my heart out. By God’s grace, my manuscript landed among the top five for October 2017, and the Writer’s Edge service sent the pitch for Atoning for Ashes and my contact information to seventy-five Christian publishers. I received an email from an interested publisher shortly thereafter, and I signed a publishing contract with Deep River Books on November 15, 2017. My debut novel, Atoning for Ashes, releases on February 14, 2019.

My writing is richer and its meaning is deeper today because of the valley I passed through. My illness was a blessing in disguise. I probably wouldn’t have made time to pursue my publishing dream if I hadn’t been too weak to do anything else.

When life takes you on a steep, veering trail you may not have chosen, a trail off the beaten path, take heart. He has chosen you for a purpose so great that your finite mind might not be able to comprehend the detour at first, but he has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. His ways are not our ways, but rest assured that only the best way is good enough for those of us whom he calls Beloved. His way truly is best because he has our best at heart, even if his way is a detour from all that is safe and familiar. In the end, our finite minds comprehend his infinite wisdom when we look back and see only one set of footprints because he carried us in loving arms when we grew too weak to stagger another step on the journey.

He truly has turned my mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11). I only hope that my words forever bestow on him all the glory and praise of which he is worthy!

Are you experiencing a detour right now in your life’s journey? It may be your destiny, so dust off your dreams and be prepared to watch our Lord bless you beyond measure as he uses your gifts and abilities to further his divine purpose.

Kaitlin Covel has a thirst for adventure much like the heroines of her stories. She is an old-fashioned romantic, and if she could time travel to any historical period, it would be the Regency Era. Here in the 21st century, she is a certified Nutritional Therapy Technician, but writing is her passion, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction. She has honed her craft since childhood, benefiting from the insights of other writers through professional writing associations such as the Jerry Jenkins Writer’s Guild and Hope*writers. She lives with her family in Maine, where she enjoys teaching the teen Sunday school class at her church. Her favorite things are family, books, history, chocolate, music, the ocean, and strong cups of tea. Visit her at kaitlincovel.com.

Photograph © Caju Gomes, used with permission