I didn’t set out to wander in circles. No one does.

But I’d left some shortcomings unchecked, and they became “long goings.” They took me farther than I wanted to go, kept me longer than I wanted to stay, and cost me more than I ever intended to pay.

We all have shortcomings. Whether it’s pride, people-pleasing, addiction, avoidance, anger, or something else, we all have character flaws and unhealthy patterns that for us feel comfortably familiar.

But don’t be fooled. Those comfortable things are not friendly tour guides. They lead us on long goings—painful detours that cause us to wander in the wilderness of disconnection and destruction. And those detours take us far from the promised land of freedom, purpose, and peace—the life God designed for us to live.

We can learn from the Israelites’ long going in Exodus. Millions of God’s people wandered around the wilderness for nearly 40 years because of their rebellion and unbelief. And as they wandered, they played the blame game and justified their actions. We do the same. We overcomplicate what God makes simple.

Scripture often describes God’s way as “straight.” Proverbs 3:6 tells us that He makes our paths straight when we trust Him. Isaiah 40:3 says that God even straightens out our crooked paths.

For years, I was on a crooked path due to my disobedience, rebellion, and pride. I resisted the hard work of honesty and healing, feared vulnerability, clung to control, and chased things that were never satisfied.

I said things like, “It’s not that bad,” and “I’ll stop tomorrow” as I wandered around the dryest of lands. I even convinced myself that God understood. And He did. But understanding isn’t the same as endorsing.

Fortunately, God loves us too much to let us settle in cycles of self-destruction. He knows the longer we stay there, the deeper we will fall into unhealthy behaviors, misbeliefs, and shame. We’ll become disconnected from God, distanced from others, too far gone, and oh, so lost.

I still deal every day with the damage my long goings caused. Healing takes time and hard work. But that’s where the miracle of grace comes in. Even if we’ve taken the long road, it’s never too late to turn around. The minute we ask for help, God meets us right where we are, points, and says, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21 NIV).

God doesn’t shame us for our detours. Every time we admit and surrender a shortcoming, He reorders our steps and restores the years the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25–27). Our God can even make a way where there is no way (Isaiah 43:16, 19).

These days, I’m learning to take the quicker path by trusting God and obeying Him. His way truly is better and helps me avoid painful paths. I no longer want to argue with Him—that only stalls and sabotages my progress.

When I feel tempted to retreat into old mindsets or behaviors, I ask myself: Will this choice lead me toward connection or away from it? Toward healing or deeper into hurt? Toward God or away from Him? These questions help me avoid unnecessary, painful journeys.

Perhaps you’re on a journey like that now. Let me offer you some hope. You don’t have to earn your way back to God’s straight path. You need only to take honest steps in His direction, surrendering your life, shortcomings and all, to Him. In that place of surrender, you’ll find love, acceptance, and help to walk a new, better path.

You’ll still face resistance. As you go, old patterns will call to you, but they don’t get the final word. Jesus does! He says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).

God is still in the business of turning even the longest, ugliest, most shameful long going into a beautiful testimony of transformation. My life is proof.

His love always knows the way.

Sheridan Correa is a trauma-informed biblical counselor who serves as the wellness program director for Victorious Living. A wife and mother of two teenage boys, Sheridan has been radically changed by Jesus.