Damaged Goods and Detours

I tend to be horrible at analogies but that is not going to stop me from trying one here. Just hold on tight and try to follow me. I figure that life is a lot like shopping and stores. For a chosen few there are elite stores where there are bathroom attendants, doormen, valet parking, and personal shoppers. Here you find the best items, the items that are ornamental, flawless, crafted from expensive and superior materials. These would be considered the show pieces. Next there are the department stores and the chain stores where you might find a greeter, a line at the checkout, and a parking lot where it is every man for himself. The items here are functional, solid, marked with only small imperfections, crafted from accessible but reliable materials. These would be considered the practical pieces. Finally there are the discount stores, the odd-lot stores where you are likely to find items jumbled on shelves or stored in bins. There is no consistent stock because the stores sell whatever is cast aside by the department and chain stores. The items here are all flawed in some way: dented cans, torn boxes, mismatched clothing, scraped or wobbly furniture. These would be the damaged goods. In life people can fall into similar categories: show pieces, practical pieces, and damaged goods. I love my life with all of its quirks, fumbles, and frustrations but I am damaged goods.
Detours refers to the fact that God has a tremendous sense of humor. Just when I start to believe that I have this life figured out, that I understand what He has planned for me and where I am going my life gets turned upside down. At the exact moment that I believe the path is most clear it either drops out from under me or takes a sudden, dramatic turn that I never expected. These are the detours, the unforeseen changes in my plans that wind through foreign but beautiful territory. I have learned that the detours are just as precious as the path, just as meaningful, and just as important to my life. Although I still gasp each time one arises and foolishly try to return to the marked road even though I know by now the only way back is to follow the detour through to the end.