Hard Hats and Traffic Jams

26 Mile Rd and Van Dyke recently finished a 4-month-long construction project.  For those of you who don’t know, 26 Mile Rd is where Meijer, Target, Kohl’s, Payless, Bath and Body Works, and Home Depot are located (for those of us in the boonies who actually have to drive SOUTH to get to any store!!).  It was a major pain.  Traffic was rerouted again and again, speed limits were slowed to a crawling pace, you could sit through 2-3 cycles of a traffic light before making it through the intersection – just a big pain.  And the progress was hard to see, which added to the irritation as the construction dragged on and on and on. 

Recently, while sitting in a long line of traffic at 26 Mile and Van Dyke, I thought about how construction parallels our spiritual walk.  Often, God will make it clear to me that it’s time for another season of construction, and my habitual response is irritation.  “More construction, Lord?  Didn’t I just get through the last season of construction?”  (Btw, this is the wrong response b/c if God wants to work something else in me I should be nothing but grateful and excited!)

This is how roadway construction parallels spiritual “construction.”  Initially there tends to be a period of demolition, utter chaos and a scrambling to get things organized.  Foundations are torn up, roads are blocked off and rerouted, warning cones are placed everywhere, and workers bring in colossal Komatsu machines.

What a headache!  Now traffic lines double and triple in size and reckless accidents sometimes occur, creating more havoc and longer lines.  We hate roadway construction because we somehow have to go on with our lives despite the mess.

It’s the same thing with spiritual construction.  Life gets way more complicated because now we suddenly have to deal with the spiritual valleys, tough lessons and tears – while somehow going on with our daily lives, agendas and responsibilities.  

Depending on your outlook, spiritual construction can be the worst or best time of your life.
(just a reminder: if you consider construction to be the worst time of your life, be prepared for LOTS more of it.)

What’s the point of the construction, the mayhem, the inconvenience, the tears?  Well, Elisabeth Elliot hit a bull’s eye when she said, “God’s story never ends with ashes.”  Think about it.  When 26 Mile opened up a few days ago and I drove on it for the first time, I breathed a sigh of relief.  The road was smooth and newly paved – there was more space, more room to breathe.  It was refreshing. 

When God wants to work something into (or out of) your soul, yes, it will be a tough time, and only He knows how long it will last.  But when the construction is finally finished, your spirit will breathe deeply and enjoy the delightful product of that labor.  Your heart will rejoice in what the Lord has brought forth in your soul.  Another valley conquered, another mountain climbed. 

So bring on the hard hats, the traffic jams, the big ol’ Komatsu’s.  It’s construction time!!