The Only Unacceptable Routes Are Standing Still or Going Backwards

Exodus 13:17

Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war… Ambition and drive can be good things. Sometimes people need to be pushed and a forward motion is the best plan, but a husband, father, leader, pastor must also think of his people and not drive them faster than they are able to go. Some lessons are very hard to learn and to accept. We must always be moving forward, improving our positions, but sometimes we have to move in a circuitous route or at an easy pace. The only completely unacceptable routes are standing still or returning to Egypt.

Exodus 13:18

But God led the people about... The people did not go where they wanted, and God did not lead them by the easiest route. He led them where he needed them to go. Israel, God's bride, was not in charge. She could make requests of him, but she could not issue demands without risking her own destruction. Following the example of Israel and her Husband, wives should follow their husbands even if that road leads into the wilderness or through the territory of giants.