“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” — Proverbs 3:5–6
But God has a remarkable way of redeeming what we often consider wasted moments.
Somewhere northeast of Lansing, Michigan, I realized I had missed a turn. Rather than continuing on, I pulled into a nearby parking lot to regroup and turn around. What I did not realize at the time was that this simple interruption would become one of those surprising reminders that God often works through unexpected detours.
The parking lot belonged to a small antique mall filled with fascinating pieces of history and nostalgia. As I walked through the displays, one item immediately caught my attention—a vintage movie reel. Upon closer inspection, I realized it appeared to be an authentic reel once used in theaters during the 1950s or 1960s for projecting 35mm films.
As someone who appreciates history and storytelling, I was intrigued.
While I was examining it, a man approached me and struck up a conversation. He had a booth inside the antique mall selling some of his own items, though the movie reel itself was not part of his collection. He asked what I planned to do with it, and I explained that I hoped to give it as a gift to someone who collects vintage movie memorabilia.
To my surprise, he smiled and said, “In that case, let me buy it for you.”
I laughed at first, assuming he was joking, but he insisted. He walked inside, paid for the reel himself, and handed it to me as a gift.
What a surprise.
Of course, that led to an even longer conversation. As we talked, I learned that he had once lived in Los Angeles and had worked around the film industry during the 1990s. He explained that he never played major roles, but he had appeared as an extra in several productions—including some familiar television shows like Knight Rider and others from that era.
It was fascinating to hear his stories—not because he was famous, but because his life reflected the unexpected paths people travel.
What interested me even more was what he is doing today. He now produces music and is involved in encouraging people to perform acts of kindness. His mission is simple yet powerful:
inspire one million people to record and share random acts of kindness through an online movement.
And there I stood—having only stopped because I missed a turn.
What began as frustration became inspiration.
That experience stayed with me because it reminded me how often God works through interruptions we never planned for. We tend to view interruptions as inconveniences. Delays frustrate us. Wrong turns annoy us. Unexpected stops feel like obstacles to productivity.
Yet sometimes God does His best work in the moments we never scheduled.
A friend of mine shared a recent experience that he had on the road. He was traveling and ended up with a flat tire. It turned out that a very large spike was driven through his tire and he needed to get it repaired. Taking it to the closest repair shop he was able to have an incredible conversation with a young man behind the counter. As he shared his faith, the young man began to ask about how to receive Jesus.
Indeed! Had he been thrown through the fence he would’ve not survived, but somehow his body went between the Barbwire at a high rate of speed. His hand is what caught the fence. He survived, of course with a miraculous story. He grew up in church, but did not know Christ, but it was a turning point for him, and now he has spent almost all of his remaining years, telling others about Jesus!
How many divine appointments have we nearly missed because we were too focused on getting back to our agenda?
Proverbs 3:5–6 reminds us:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…”
The truth is, we often lean heavily upon our own understanding. We map out our schedules, establish priorities, and determine how the day should unfold. But God, in His wisdom, occasionally interrupts our plans—not to harm us, but to redirect us toward something we would have otherwise overlooked.
Sometimes a missed turn becomes a meaningful conversation.
Sometimes a delay becomes a divine encounter.
Sometimes a detour becomes a lesson we desperately needed.
The older I get, the more I realize that some of the richest moments in life are not found in carefully managed schedules, but in surprising serendipitous moments where God gently reminds us that He is still directing our paths.
Moses experienced it at a burning bush.
Mary experienced it through an angelic announcement.
Paul experienced it on the Damascus Road.
None of them planned the interruption.
But every interruption became part of God’s greater purpose.
Perhaps that is why faith requires us not only to trust God in the destination, but also in the detours.
The interruption may not make sense in the moment. The delay may feel frustrating. The wrong turn may seem inconvenient.
But God sees what we cannot.
And sometimes the moments we almost resent become the very moments we later treasure most.
This week, somewhere near a small antique mall northeast of Lansing, I was reminded once again:
God still surprises us by interrupting our agenda.
And often, His interruptions are far better than our plans.
