As one moves through life, we find ourselves in unique sometimes challenging situations. Our choices act like bridges to get us from one place to another. Sometimes that’s forward fueled by prosperous momentum. Other times that could be backwards with seemingly little to no progressive traction. Then there’s those times where it takes you off the beaten path. 

Each one of us has a story. That story consists of ups and downs. An odyssey that sees an emphasis on small moments and often questionable choices. Our individual journeys bring us to different places where we become consumed by one simple yet weighted question. Why?

One thing that has become clear to me as I start to come out of my particular difficult situation is that everything has its purpose and there’s a purpose to everything. Meaning things like our struggles, successes, pain, and growth are anything but random. These things lead to progress. Progress eventually finds meaning resulting in prosperity. In not just your story but the stories of others you may or may not have been aware were connected to you. 

The way I see it setbacks are not just inconvenient but instead are essentially setups for a teachable moments. Carefully crafted exchanges where knowledge and wisdom traverse from one place to another. Likewise detours and perceived distractions are not just a fleeting moments of misguided momentum. Rather they are readjustment points. Points where we can stop and take a look at both where we were and where we are looking to go and decide which way we want to proceed. 

We are often positioned for a purpose that a lot of times doesn’t become clear to us until the appointed time. 

The Purpose of Setbacks

Life is beautifully complex filled with moments to be cherished and moments to be studied. It is not however without difficult and challenging moments. These moments see us often pressured by heavy situations. While going through these storms we are so blinded by the flashing light of our iniquities that we often cannot see things outside of that. 

Most of us take setbacks for what they are and just move on. Some of us do our best to look beyond what we see and get to a place where we begin to understand the purpose behind the storm itself. You see you are not supposed to come out of hard times the way you went in. There’s supposed to be a change as there was a purpose for that challenge. 

A lot of times the purpose of a setback isn’t so involved and elaborate. Sometimes it’s just as simple as building you up. Maybe it was designed to make you the individual a slightly better version of yourself as the journey ahead requires a little more than you were previously equipped with. 

One of my personal favorite stories from the Bible is that of Joseph. He was just a boy who went through one of the most difficult times. He was betrayed by those he called family and enslaved. I would imagine that at that young age Joseph had no clue where this setback would take him. You see Joseph had to go through that because there was a big challenge on the horizon that he would be instrumental in getting people through. 

The purpose of his setback was to get him to that place where he could use his gifts to such great effect that it would not only elevate him but others as well. 

So basically, if you are facing setbacks know that this is setting you up for a bigger purpose. For there might be a challenge on the horizon that requires your unique touch to overcome. 

The Purpose of Detours

Sometimes in life we come to a point where we may make a subjective wrong turn and we feel like we are off track. These ambiguous moments can take the form of many different things. The only constant is that it is a moment that takes away our focus from our journey at hand. 

To some this may not seem like such a big deal. There are those however that are hyper critical of themselves and might see these moments as negative distractions. To simply put it… a waste of time. At the end of the day your situation is whatever you want it to be, but I want to challenge you to take another glance at it. 

Where you see a potentially detrimental slow up, I see an opportunity to regroup and catch your breath. Where you see a waste of time, I see a lesson to be learned.  Finally, where you see negativity and hopelessness, I see an opportunity to innovate. 

Detours and distractions don’t have to always be a bad thing. Life is heavy and trekking forward on your journey takes more than I think most people are aware of. Sometimes a little distraction or detour here and there won’t hurt you. I would argue that it would do just the opposite. As long as you are not waffling around and making no progress at all then a detour shouldn’t cause any problems. 

Check this out when God delivered his people from Egypt, he allowed them to take a detour. You see for them to keep progressing forward rather to take the more direct path would see them run into the land of the philistine where there would have been war. 

God let them take a detour which saw them have to cross the Red Sea. Yet once they crossed those troubled waters, they still had one thing left to do before they could get back on track. You see their characters weren’t where they needed to be to receive the blessing God had for them.

 A lot of times we are in a hurry to get where we are going that we don’t recognize that we’re not ready to be where we desire. Sometimes these detours give us an opportunity to make the necessary adjustments without having to deal with the burden of setbacks.

The Purpose of Prosperity

When you are blessed to see the resolution to the journey you embarked on you are now gifted more than just mere success. Success as a concept is too fluid to be the only component to prosperity. What follows are the more permanent foundational elements. Things such confidence, wisdom, understanding, and ability. These are all things that you can take with you from one situation to another. 

The notion of success doesn’t always translate into useful prosperous material. Instead, the confidence you gained, the wisdom you gleamed, the understanding of what it is and what it takes, and finally the ability to act, are what you use to build your new path in your journey. Think of these elements as structural support that hold up whatever you look to construct next. 

These elements are also essential in building a bridge to those around you. Through your confidence, wisdom, understanding, and ability you are able to better connect and ultimately aid others on their journey to prosperity. The purpose of your success is to provide you more material to stand on as well as more material to share. 

If I can circle back to the story of Joseph for a moment, I want to point out the purpose of his prosperity. You see he was successful in prospering while in bondage. But it was the foundational elements that would go on and aid him in what would come next. 

His ability to overcome, his understanding of how the people felt, his wisdom in managing during hard times, and finally his confidence that God was on his side would take him over that bridge of success. Not only preserving but saving countless people from a famine is a monumental achievement. 

Remember your success is not arbitrary but rather necessary for not just your journey but for the journey of those around you. 

In Closing

We are all on our own individual journeys. During which we will find ourselves in a certain position for a purpose. The purpose of a setback is to give you an opportunity to grow. The purpose of a detour is to get you to a place where you can get a better understanding of your situation at hand. Finally, the purpose of prosperity is to equip you with the elements to carry you into the next phase of your journey as well as be able to better aid those around you. Do not be discouraged for where you stand is not a mistake rather you are positioned for a purpose greater than your understanding at the moment. Go forward and be blessed. You Got This!!!

Positioned for a Purpose video: https://youtu.be/Tbs-L31kba4