Several weeks ago, I was on the way to a concert at Blossom Music Center, a popular outdoor venue near my house. I had Rascal Flatt's "Life is a Highway" blasting out of my stereo, had a cooler of ice and water bottles rattling in the back seat, and was singing at the top of my lungs, getting myself pumped up to attend a concert with some of my good friends from college who I don't get to see often in the summer. Lost in my own little dance party for one, I happened to miss my exit and swore under my breath. I was already running a little late and getting lost was exactly what I didn't need on what I was expecting to be one of the best days of my summer vacation. I grumbled to myself as I zoomed towards the next exit, turning up the air conditioning to cool off my rising body temperature. As I pulled off the highway and put on my left turn signal to turn around, I noticed an older homeless man holding a cardboard sign on the side of the road. He looked exhausted, sweat dripping down his face as the sun blazed overhead. My heart immediately went out to the man. Here I was sitting in my air-conditioned car off to have the time of my life and complaining about missing an exit while someone was sitting in the heat alone wondering if he was going to be able to eat dinner that night. I suddenly felt ashamed and knew I had to do something. I reached into the back of my car and pulled a chilled water bottle out of my cooler. I rolled down my window and called the man over, handing him the bottle and a small amount of cash to buy some food. His dark eyes lit up and he smiled brightly as he said, "Thank you, Miss, and God bless you. Have a great evening!"

As I continued my drive, I couldn't help but think about the circumstances that led me to that one little moment. Sure, I had been upset that I missed my exit, but the detour had led me to exactly where I needed to be. The more I thought about it, I realized that the same type of scenario applied to many other situations in life. Oftentimes, we find ourselves nervous with our current situation or unsure if we are on the right path. We make a hard decision or take an unexpected turn and waste energy worrying whether or not we made the right choice. Most times, the reason as to why we are where we are in life does not appear as quickly as a man in need standing on the side of the road. Sometimes it takes weeks, months, or even years to reach that moment. However, it is important for us to have faith that our day will come. We will look back on all of the times in life where we felt lost or scared and realize that those times led us to this exact moment. And we will be exactly where we are supposed to be.

I will forever be grateful for my encounter with the man on the side of the road that day. The faith he restored in me is worth far more than a concert or a water bottle or a couple of bucks. He gave me a sense of peace with my life that I have not felt in a long time. I hope that I and those reading this story will be able to take that peace and carry it as we continue on our crazy and terrifying, but also beautiful and rewarding, paths of life.