I've been told the shortest distance between to points is a straight line.

While technically this is true, the reality is that there are no straight lines. Sure, you can say it's 40-miles as the crow flies, but the crow never flies straight. Have you seen them? They bob and weave. They dip and soar. They hang out at the tree tops and shout at you all day. But they rarely fly in a straight line...and certainly not the 40 miles in this story problem.

There are no straight lines in the car, truck, train or plane. The fastest route for traveling is never straight. You can count on it. There are detours, roundabouts, by-passes, and construction zones. There are flat tires, flight delays and

It's true in life as well. There are babies and bottles, kindergarten and graduations. There are funerals and family tragedies, promotions and layoffs. There are crushes, loves, marriages, heartbreaks and divorces. There are hurtful words and hurtful actions. There's disease and illness, broken bones and surgeries.

And it's true in our walk with God. We have mountain top experiences and wilderness wandering. We have years of living in deep and abiding faith and years of facing absolute doubt. The search for truth is a meandering journey, never a straight line.

But there certainly can be a blessing in that type of wandering journey. The most scenic routes can reveal the most interesting finds. How else would you experience the biggest ball of string or the tallest martini, that scenic vista or the best cup of coffee? If all we care about is the destination, we forget that the journey is just as important, if not more so.

Perhaps the shortest distance is the last thing we truly want when going from point A to point B. It might not always be pleasurable, but it does offer a better view in the end.