I know you’ve been there. You had your goals mapped out on paper and maybe even projected onto a vision board with pretty pictures of what life was going to be in five to ten years from that date.

You even made practical strides to make these goals a reality. But then, life smacked your three-ring binder filled with goals by the wayside. Now you’re left to wonder what to do next. 

That my, my friend, is a detour and the very subject we’re talking about today. 

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of the book, Detours I just want to say this was an extremely encouraging yet convicting read for me with the different trials my husband and me have experienced. If you are in the messy middle of a detour, I really do believe the book,  Detours will infuse you with the encouragement and wisdom you’re in desperate need of. 

Alright, so let’s get to the heart of the book, Detours –as I’ve already talked about here Joseph had a vision of royalty, but he had to go into a pit and then into prison in order to get to the palace God had in store for him. 

In Detours by Tony Evans, Evans writes about these twists in turns in Joseph’s life and how they relate to your own detour-filled life. Evans does this in such an encouraging, yet truthful way by initially launching into the topic of the purpose behind detours.

This is such an important topic because far too often, we can be stuck in a trial or see someone else enduring their own series of detours and think, “Well, this is just a waste of time; why can’t I press the fast-forward button for myself or this person over here enduring this hardship?” Tony Evans has a beautifully put response for this:

“God is not going to bring your destiny to fruition until He knows you are able to handle it spiritually, emotionally, and physically. If you cannot handle it, you will lose it rather than use it for His glory.”

Detours by Tony Evans Highlights Using Your Misery for God’s Ministry

I’ve read Detours by Tony Evans two times now and have gotten new nuggets from the book each time. This second go-around, the chapter on “The Presence of Detours” really struck a cord with me because it’s where Evans both warns and encourages us to turn our eyes away from our situation and onto someone else to help.
As Evans mentions, detours will inherently make us turn inward. Peeling our eyes away from our trials is certainly a challenge, but it’s a challenge that God desires and one that Joseph himself took action with when he came to the aid of his two fellow prisoners. 

I’m leaving you with some of my favorite lines from Detours by Tony Evans. And believe me when I say, this book is so quotable that my book is an underlined mess with words that could have filled up this post!

“What would life look like if we all lived with a purpose, with a destiny? How would we act and think differently if we saw God’s hand in the plots of our lives connecting one circumstance to the next in the tapestry of His will?”

“If you want to find your destiny, find God. After all, He is the author of it.”

“When people don’t live with the sense that God has given them a divine purpose in life–or that they are fulfilling it–they become depressed.”

“Everyone has a destiny and a purpose to fulfill. Everyone.”

“If we could see the purpose through the pain, we would bear up under it with a great deal more dignity.”

“You shouldn’t feel guilty for responding to a pit with a question mark.”