Spent a few hours last Saturday to dig out from a foot of snow piled on my friend’s and my driveways, gave me a good work out.  The good things are we didn’t experience any power outage in our area and the snow was one day only.

As the historic blizzard hit the Northeast region, some areas received several feet of snow locally. It caused many damages and interruptions – schools, transportation, government offices and private companies, etc. were all impacted. Under such condition, personal daily lives are also having various detours and plan changes. Our church originally planned to have a hotpot gathering to celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year on last Friday night was forced to postpone. Many friends of us, who were longing for the gathering, were disappointed. I realize that God wants us to learn that He has His own idea and won’t always follow our little plan. God declared to us, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 天怎樣高過地，照樣我的道路，高過你們的道路，我的意念，高過你們的意念‧ (Isaiah 55:9)”

In our life journey, I am sure there will be many detours waiting for us. They could be as minor as schedule change to, as major as lost our endeared friend or family member. This morning, I had a chance to call my brother-in-law who just lost his wife, my sister, in last summer. I could perceive his sadness and heaviness through his voice. I was short of words to comfort him. He told me that he was so used to have my sister taken care of the family. Now in the New Year eve, he had to prepare the gathering meal by himself, knowing that he couldn’t even see her to sit with them. This is a detour in life that most of us would not in favor, I believe.

As detours in our life are unavoidable, the question is how we can pull through them without succumbing. There are at least three imperatives, I think. One is we should not complain and grumble about the situation like the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt . The second is we have to realize that God is in control over every situation – His ways are higher than our ways. The last one is we have to listen to His leading. Prophet Isaiah encouraged us, “Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it. 主 雖 以 艱 難 給 你 當 餅 ， 以 困 苦 給 你 當 水 ， 你 的 教 師 卻 不 再 隱 藏 ； 你 眼 必 看 見 你 的 教 師 。你 或 向 左 或 向 右 ， 你 必 聽 見 後 邊 有 聲 音 說 ： 這 是 正 路 ， 要 行 在 其 間 。(Isaiah 30:20-21)”

Sometimes we may feel that He is absent and He is not care about us. We therefore complain and question Him. However, our complaints and insubordination cannot undermine His love upon and sovereignty over us. He is always present even when we feel He is absent. He loves us even we are sinners. My dear brothers and sisters, assuredly our plans will not catch up with the pace of changes (計畫趕不上變化). All we have to do is entrusting our lives to the Almighty God – listen and submit to His guidance!