If you have ever sat in my class, you may have noticed I am a “bunny trails teacher.”

I’ve tried to curb the habit, because obviously we have routines to keep, deadlines to meet, assignments to complete.

But in the years I’ve taught, I’ve quietly told myself that some bunny trails are important. Sometimes, answering that off-topic question will mean more to them in life than if we finish the math lesson today or tomorrow.

It’s not something I’ve actually spent much time intentionally thinking about, until yesterday. I was chatting with some upper grade girls at lunch, who were discussing various teaching styles. (They notice more than I used to realize!)

“You follow bunny trails a little more than some, I remember,” was the calm declaration from one of them. “But personally, I liked that.”

I laughed and replied that I try to only follow the important bunny trails, but yes, I do tend to travel them quite easily.

“Important bunny trails? How can they be important when they’re distracting from the schedule?” This from a well self-disciplined girl.

We talked about important questions, life lessons, etc that may not be in the curriculum, but are totally worth taking time for.

How in life, we sometimes take bunny trails as well, walking paths that feel like detours but take us to places we’d have missed out on otherwise.

They weren’t totally convinced. “Have you ever taken a risk or a detour that got you something you would’ve missed out on otherwise?”

If they only knew… children can’t fully understand. But I told them how I went to a teacher’s conference all by myself, how I was planning to go to my hotel pretty early that evening because I didn’t know anyone there and I was tired.

When an old friend suggested I go meet her sister, I thought about waiting until the next day and sticking to my current plan: going to my hotel. But I had gone there determined to let things flow, and take opportunities to connect with people, so I went to introduce myself to a stranger.

It was a small detour from my schedule, but that encounter is how I first connected with the girl who is now more of a sister than a friend. I could have missed the blessing of having a praying bestie in my life, if I hadn’t taken the opportunity to meet her.

There are so many more examples in the last year… opportunities that came up which I could have ignored, because they really didn’t fit into the path I was trying to stick to.

But by making space in my life to explore the random bends in the road, I arrived where I am today.

Stopping to talk with people. Accepting unexpected invitations. Daring to step out in faith.

Yes, we need a routine and a plan! But since God’s ways are higher than ours, we need to be aware that He might be nudging us on a different path than we’ve chosen to walk. Or He wants to add people, places, and memories to our lives to make the journey more beautiful when we return to the original path.

So go to that conference. Hang out with an old friend. Take a short missions trip.

Deviating from the everyday occasionally, if it’s done seeking God’s blessing & guidance, can be the key to personal enrichment.

Maybe God has hidden treasures to add to your life – but they’re meant for you to discover.

Maybe, they are the reward for faithfully stepping out of your way to follow Him.

I do hope those girls remember our little chat about bunny trails.

I hope they grow up to become women of God, committed to walking the path He calls them to.

And I hope that if He gives them the opportunity to pursue what feels like a bunny trail sometimes, that they will have enough faith to explore, even if it doesn’t seem to fit the mold they’ve gotten used to.

I hope they will have courage to walk the paths that lead them to places of blessing they could never have imagined themselves.