It sure was a long time coming! For months, we had suffered from detours and delays. Traffic was often backed up so badly along the construction site that I began avoiding the area altogether when possible. Sometimes the congestion was so bad that I wished they had never attempted to “improve” the roads in the area. Then after having endured lane closures, work zones, and long, long delays for what felt like forever, I found myself this morning coasting along on a beautiful new stretch of smooth tarmac. I was so excited.
Isn’t life like that? We get used to our regular routes and ruts. Even though they’re a little problematic, they’re also comfortably familiar. We swerve around the potholes and think nothing of it. Then we get annoyed with somebody who isn’t familiar with our well-worn route and doesn’t know how to navigate it. Finally, we see the big machines and yellow cones and realize it’s time for a change, and that improvement—perhaps long overdue—is about to happen.
Just like the Department of Transportation’s road improvements, God’s work in our lives doesn’t just happen overnight. Whether it’s time for a widening, a little resurfacing, or an entirely new stretch, it takes a lot of courage to allow Him to lead us someplace new.
Often, the preparation seems like it will last forever. Then the day finally comes and you’re really on your way. A few twists and turns and you just seem to sail along to the place God has prepared for you. Gone are the ruts, the bumps and holes, the delays! It may take a little time to get used to the new road, but it is so worthwhile.
As we approach the start of any new project—or even if we’re not there yet, but we’re still at the stage of considering our options—it is good to think about new roads. Is God doing something new? Do those delays that test our patience so much mean something really smooth is just about ready to roll out?
Let’s face the future with excitement and anticipation. Rather than lament the old roads, or bemoan the hassle the changes are bringing, let’s fix our focus on what’s ahead. Life has ups and downs, stops and starts, but eventually we’ll find ourselves once again happily sailing along on the open road of God’s plan for our lives.