Construction Zone
By Lisa Boyer
“Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.”
Jude 1:2
Orange construction barrels, reduced speed limits, lane closures…all signs that road work is underway.
Last year, the road work was just a short distance from my house which made for a rough summer… loud trucks disrupted my sleep every night and lane closures made it difficult to get to work in the morning. Needless to say, I was less than happy about the road construction.
Eventually, I gained an appreciation for how the road construction was handled because, in spite of all the work they were accomplishing, they never closed the road! I was allowed to drive on it… not necessarily at the speed I wanted or with the choice of lanes I was accustomed to, but I still drove on it. I am sure that the construction process would be easier (and undoubtedly safer) if they just closed the road and then fixed it. But that’s not usually an option when it comes to road construction.
Neither is it an option when God is doing construction work in the lives of His children as He reshapes them to be more like His Son, Jesus. Most of us would love for Him to put up the orange barrels and post a huge CLOSED sign while God reshapes us, but He doesn’t work that way. When God is working in our lives, He doesn’t hide us away until He’s finished… our roads stay open during construction.
As a result, we’ll be encountering construction on more than just the highways this summer, yet without the benefit of warning signs like “Caution: Road Work Ahead” or “Reduced Speed Ahead” or “Give ‘em a Brake” to tell us we’re entering a construction zone. Maybe that’s why Paul had the foresight to instruct us to “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” in Ephesians 4:2.
Construction is different for each of God’s children… whether they’re hurting as God walks them through a healing process… or struggling as He removes something from their lives that’s bad for them… or vulnerable as He stretches them to serve Him in new and challenging ways. No matter what the situation, they can benefit from an abundance of mercy, peace and love during their construction season.
GOING DEEPER:
1. This summer, will you watch for ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus and to support a sister in Christ as God works in her life?
FURTHER READING:
Galatians 6:2; 2 Peter 1:5-7; Ephesians 4:31-32
Lisa has been married to Ted for 19 years and they have two teenage sons. She is a co-leader for a Junior High girls’ small group at Oakwood Church.
