My Anywhere But Here Blog

Unexpected Journeys

We all plan our days accordingly, but sometimes the road meets a roadblock. Even when we are simply cruising along, a speed bump can appear — perhaps to slow us down and make us take an unaware breath. I say unaware because sometimes we don’t realize we need to come up for air.

It’s like swimming across a pool, thinking, I can make it to the end, only to find yourself struggling as you near the other side — pushing through, when in reality you should have surfaced for air sooner.

We must learn to pay attention to the signals and signs along the journey.

Last week was one of those days for me.

I should have considered all possibilities and addressed them before proceeding with my task for the day — a CT scan with contrast. God knew I was going to have it. I knew I was going to have it. I believed I had taken all the precautions I had taken in the past. But for some reason, last weeks preparation did not prepare me for an allergic reaction to the contrast.

That reaction altered my route for the day. What was supposed to be routine instead heightened my stress when I hit that roadblock right at noon.

My journey had to pause.

I felt angry. I felt frustrated. I needed reassurance that God could fix this roadblock and help me return to completing my goals.

Suffice it to say, I did not complete them all.
But I did make it home.
I did rest in my own bed.
And I thanked God that He handled my roadblock.

The journeys we plan and embark on should not always be a struggle if we remember to prepare for them. At the same time, we must expect the unexpected and remember to look around us for the little joys that exist in each moment.

Last week, for me, the struggle was intense. But I was able to reach my doctor, who reassured me she understood what the issue was and that it could be resolved with much-needed care from others who had training beyond my abilities. I was also fortunate to live in a populated area where I could receive assistance quickly. I thanked God for those whose gifts and knowledge helped clear the roadblock in my path.

While taking much-needed time to rest and thank God, a question floated through my mind all night:

What was the purpose of that roadblock when I am already so tired and sometimes wishing to be anywhere but here?

That following morning, I still did not have the full answer. But I returned to a scripture verse suggested to me by a friend that day during a conversation about the writer Paul in the New Testament:

“Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

Today, I begin my journey reminding myself of something else this great writer and mentor teaches us to do daily:

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

These three lines are almost a philosophy we can carry with us on our journey to My Anywhere But Here.

In My Anywhere But Here, we look forward with joyful hope — it is how we face the future.
We remain patient in affliction — whether it is a minor cold or something more life-threatening — it is how we survive the present.
And when we are faithful in the steps we use to move through life’s journey — for me, that is prayer and faith — it keeps us connected to the fullness of the journey itself.

And maybe the roadblocks are not there to stop us,
but to remind us to breathe.
To look up.
To look inward.
To remember we were never walking the journey alone.

Even on the days we wish to be anywhere but here,
there is still purpose in the pause,
still grace in the waiting,
and still hope quietly rising with the morning light.

— Susan Beth Thomas