I gathered everything I needed—or so I thought—and headed out the door with both hands full. As I reached the car, I had a nagging feeling that I had forgotten something, but I brushed it off and kept going. Thankfully, I didn’t get far before realizing that I had forgotten my glasses. Feeling inconvenienced, I dropped everything I was carrying to go back for my glasses. There are just some moments when you need to turn around.

While I didn’t want to lose time by turning around, I knew I had to. The choice was in front of me. I could go into rush mode or decide to go with the flow. We always want to get to where we want to go, and moving forward in our lives is healthy, but we don’t have to rush.

Forget what is behind and press on toward the goal, as the Apostle Paul reminds us. Leaving behind how we used to be before Christ intervened allows us to turn toward the good. While we shouldn’t dwell on the past, we can always look back and reflect. Looking back at how far God has taken you can be a spark of encouragement on the tough days.

Other times, we have to turn around and go back to heal or learn from the past. This may take some time, but if we don’t rush by, we’ll become stronger and better.

While we don’t rely solely on our rearview mirrors to reach our destination, they help us see what’s behind us. The same is true for our journeys here on this earth. Looking back, we can see how close our God has always been to us.

Without my glasses, I would not be able to see clearly. Not taking the time to pause or turn around can also cloud our sight on the One who is right there behind us. Not only is God behind us, but He is ahead of us and is within us to encourage and instill wisdom.

The delays can often feel inconvenient, especially when they lead you in a direction you didn’t intend. While turning around to get my glasses was a minor inconvenience, there are much more significant delays in life that make me feel like I am being turned around in the wrong direction. Could it be a divine delay, though?

If you’re like me and don’t quite know which way to turn when the navigation prompts you to turn northeast or southwest, there is One who will always get you where you need to go.

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.’

Isaiah 30:21

You may want to go left, but the Holy Spirit says, “Go right.” No matter the Father’s direction, it will always lead us to the center.

When we feel like we don’t have time to turn around, may those transpire divine encounters. Push away the urge to rush and pause to flow in the present moment. In a fast-paced world, we really don’t have to rush. I have to remind myself that it’s okay to turn around. It’s okay to restart if something doesn’t go quite right.

As we trust God through every turn in our journeys, we will find ourselves in the center of His perfect love and perfect will.

In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’

Isaiah 30:16

May the latter of this verse not be part of our journeys. While a racehorse would get us to our destination fast, we would rush past the peace and rest of our Father.

If you need to turn around and go back to get what you need that will equip you better for the race, turn around. The more we turn to our Father God in every situation, even with the most ordinary or small things of our day, the more we find quietness and trust.