I got married at the height of COVID. June, to be precise. We were engaged the November before– when the world was still normal. By March, when everything shut down, we basically had a wedding put together and almost paid off. We had a plan; from the DJ, the photographer, the venue, the wedding party, the dresses, the suits, the food– everything was set for our June wedding.

But like most weddings that were derailed by the coronavirus, it never happened. At least, not according to that plan.The best of our plans came to nothing, and I, like most brides of the time, was completely disappointed that my turn had finally come to plan a wedding and be a bride and It was not going to be what I thought it would be.

This week, I met a new friend for dinner. While praying to bless the food, I said something along the lines of, “Lord, give us the courage to walk in your will.” When I finished, she asked me what I meant by asking for the courage to walk with the Lord. And I sort of paused, because it’s something I have been asking God a lot lately in my personal prayers. Have you ever been praying to God for something, and in your own mind the path from A to B is obvious? Have you ever mistaken that easy, obvious path as God’s will? Or maybe God closed the door on that route and left you feeling confused. Why would God tease us with something that seemed like an answer to prayer, only for it to pass right over us?