Construction Zone

"A voice is calling, 'Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God'" (Isaiah 40:3).
The wilderness is the place where roads and highways are made for God to travel.  In my experience, our greatest spiritual growth occurs in the wilderness.  When we reach the end of our means, we are most likely at the beginning of God's.

We can apply a few things to our lives in regards to roads and how they are built.

#1--Road construction takes time.  Construction zones sometimes last for many years.  The work that God is doing in our lives could take a while to accomplish.  We might as well learn to enjoy flashing yellow lights and the sound of heavy machinery.

#2--Road construction requires major change.  Rocks and hills are sometimes removed and valleys have to be filled in.  Old roads are torn up and favorite exits are closed.  God's work in our lives will not be convenient.  Change is often painful.  It usually gets worse before it gets better as traffic slows into one lane and the highway is temporarily replaced with narrow detours.

#3--Road construction makes us slow down.  75 becomes 45 and fines are doubled.  Our agenda gives way to the man standing in front of our car holding a stop sign.  We can get bitter...or we can get better...it's a choice...but we will will have to slow down and maybe stop regardless.

#4--Road construction results in a better road...eventually.  We can flip a u-turn, we can find an exit, or we can press on, believing that a better road lies just ahead.

"The road to success is always under construction" --Arnold Palmer