{"id":2065,"date":"2016-05-26T10:20:07","date_gmt":"2016-05-26T15:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedisciplemaker.org\/?p=2065"},"modified":"2016-05-26T10:20:07","modified_gmt":"2016-05-26T15:20:07","slug":"when-a-detour-takes-you-where-you-were-meant-to-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2016\/05\/when-a-detour-takes-you-where-you-were-meant-to-go\/","title":{"rendered":"When a Detour Takes You Where You Were Meant to Go"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

You know those times when you have to brake suddenly and take another exit? When you were heading to Chicago and life detours you to Kansas City instead?<\/em>
\nWatch. Wait. Pay attention. You might meet<\/em>
\n\u00a0The Woman in 4 B<\/strong>
\nIt had been a packed weekend. Up at 2:30 am Friday in my home in a Chicago suburb to catch a 6:00 am flight to Boston. A late night after a joyous family graduation.
\nThe next day was equally packed. Breakfast with a longtime friend. Lunch with family members. An afternoon walk in a forest preserve with my son, daughter-in-law, and granddog. Dinner and a movie and lots and lots of catching up.
\nChurch the next morning \u2013 two services. A lunch meeting afterwards as my pastor son reviewed summer ministry plans with his staff. Hustling to Logan to catch a late afternoon flight back to Chicago in time to prepare for the busy workweek ahead.
\nGratitude for those precious hours with my adult children mixed with fatigue in the marrow of my bones. A full flight, but I had checked in early to get a decent spot in the boarding order. I would shuffle onboard with the rest of the cattle and collapse in my seat, avoiding eye contact. Look up from my book only to request a diet Sprite.
\nAnd then the announcement. The flight was not only full; it was oversold. Please, would a traveler with flexible plans be willing to take a later flight?<\/em>
\nNo one moved. We all wanted to get home.
\nThe gate agent on the intercom again. It\u2019s urgent: there are too many passengers and not enough seats. We\u2019re offering compensation.<\/em>
\nStill no one moved. Except one older woman.
\nNo false claims of altruism here. I did it for the money. When a mama\u2019s chicks nest a thousand miles away, she\u2019ll grab at most anything to see them more often.
\nAnd then the caveat: No non-stops left to Chicago, ma\u2019am. But we can get you to Kansas City and then fly you back to Chicago.<\/em>
\nA detour and a few hours\u2019 delay was worth the reward at the end.
\nAnd the reward wasn\u2019t the travel voucher.<\/em><\/strong>
\nThe hatch on the plane was about to close when a woman clutching her carryon hustled down the aisle and climbed into the middle seat in my row, 4 B. After small talk with the gentleman in C, she pulled out her knitting, closing her eyes as our bird circled Boston Harbor and headed west.
\nAfter the attendant took our drink orders, the woman in 4B glanced at the title of the book I was holding. Looked more closely, leaned in.
\n\u201cMay I ask you about that?\u201d she whispered.\"Gentle
\nI lowered my softcover and regarded her. Crisp grey hair curling over her collar. Brown eyes warm but full of anxiety. Clothing a bit rumpled as if their owner had hastily dressed.
\nI\u2019m a follower of Christ<\/em>, I told her, part of a loving family of faith near Chicago. The women in our church want to be more intentional about mentoring each other, coming alongside. Showing each other how to live life with God at the center. Demonstrating how to live generously. And you?<\/em>
\nHer name was Nancy. Highly educated and extremely articulate, she worked as a psychologist near Boston.
\n\u201cI got word this morning that my father is dying,\u201d she said so softly it was hard to hear over the jet engines. \u201cI booked this trip just a few hours ago, threw things in a bag. The last message I had was that he\u2019s being transported to the hospital. Whether he\u2019ll be alive when I arrive\u2026,\u201d A deep sigh.
\nFor the next two hours I listened, asked questions, laughed with her at the stories she told of her remarkable father. We discussed theology, favorite writers, the mysterious ways of God.
\n\u201cI\u2019m doing all the talking!\u201d she said sheepishly, \u201cwhen I actually counsel people for a living. \u201cI can\u2019t thank you enough.\u201d
\nI have done nothing<\/em>, I protested.
\n\u201cBut you listened!\u201d she insisted.
\nI learn when I listen. I learned a great deal from Nancy, who at one point reached over for my volume on discipleship and jotted the title of a book she thought I\u2019d appreciate in the back.
\nAs we landed in Kansas City, her eyes grew moist. Her hands shook slightly as she turned on her phone.
\n\u201cMay I pray with you?\u201d I whispered, and hand on arm, we huddled together as passengers began to deplane.
\nI will continue to pray,<\/em> I called to her as she hurried up the gangway. For whatever news is awaiting you.<\/em>
\nNancy stopped for a moment, paused.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve never heard of anyone traveling to Chicago from Boston who routed through Kansas City,\u201d she said. \u201cThis was no accident. This was a divine appointment.\u201d
\nFor me, too, Nancy.
\nFor me too.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The above was a guest post from Maggie Rowe. She is a speaker, writer, bible teacher, and dramatist. Check out all her great work at Tuesdays with Maggie.<\/a>
\n<\/a>
\nThe Gentle Art of Discipling Women<\/em><\/a> released earlier this spring. In it Dana Yeakley teaches us\u00a0how to nurture authentic faith in ourselves\u00a0and others.
\n\"Gentle<\/a><\/strong>
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You know those times when you have to brake suddenly and take another exit? When you were heading to Chicago and life detours you to Kansas City instead? Watch. Wait. Pay attention. You might meet \u00a0The Woman in 4 B … <\/p>\n

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