I got a Life360 alert saying our daughter just landed. I expected that, but I didn’t expect the  dice emoji next to the airport name:  LAS VEGAS???  Wait, what?  She’s traveling to Portland, Oregon on a nonstop flight.  I texted the family group chat, asking her what she’s doing in Las Vegas (I’m pretty sure I’m not the first parent to ask the question…. How did you end up in Vegas?)  She didn’t respond. My wife called and… well, let’s say she was less than pleased. Did our travel-savvy 20-year-old somehow board the wrong plane?  Did she change plans?  What is going on?

Eventually, the texts rolled in. She’d missed her original flight because the bag check line was long, so she rerouted through Vegas. On a separate text string my wife asks me the obvious question “Why did she check a carry-on bag?”  I just shrugged. “She wanted to. She’ll learn… or not :)”

Parenting isn’t for the faint of heart. We want to pass down wisdom, best-practices and even some travel-savvy. But sometimes (often), they choose their own path. What matters is that she’s still getting to Portland. She’ll get there five hours later than planned, but she’ll get there.  And, she didn’t call me to fix things when she missed her flight, she took care of it.  So, actually, though I would have done it differently, she accomplished exactly what she set out to do.  It’s a proud Dad moment.

And maybe she’ll learn something on the way. Or maybe not yet.

I hope this is how God sees us. He sees our reroutes, our inefficient detours, our decisions to “check the bag” when we didn’t have to. And still, His love doesn’t change. Hebrews 12 reminds us that God disciplines those He loves — not to punish, but to train us. It’s not always fun, and it’s rarely fast. But if we let it shape us, the result is peace and righteousness.

Are you in the midst of a season of discipline, training or refinement?  We’ve all been there.  What is God teaching you right now?  What is the wisdom he wants you to learn?  If it’s still unclear, ask Him to reveal it to you.  

Know that God is smiling down on you, maybe wondering why you’ve chosen this detour (OK… He knows everything, so he’s not wondering :).  It’s a proud Dad moment for God as you ask Him to join you on the journey, learn from the experience, and enjoy the harvest of peace and righteousness.

Elliot W. Sands is the Executive Director of Faith First, and host of the Live Faith First podcast.  Elliot spent 17 years as a pastor, including five years as a school principal, and has even co-founded a health-tech start-up.  As parents of three children, and three grandchildren Elliot & Penny have navigated blending families, supporting a special needs child, and raising and launching children–it takes bravery, persistence, humility and God’s presence to parent.