Re-Paving Your Way
There I was; stuck in construction traffic. That's become a norm in the summers and in the falls living in the Midwest. We came to a dead stop not because it was coming down to one lane; it was already down to one lane. In fact, they had the middle left turn lane completely blocked off to where if you needed to turn left, you'd have to go 5 miles down the road, turn around, and come back to then turn right.
We came to a dead stop because a dump truck had to use our lane to dump asphalt into the turn lane. As I sat there thinking that I am going to be late to work, I stopped for a minute. My car and my physcial body were already stopped, but now my mind stopped.
I started to look at the clear blue sky, the construction workers slaving away in the humidity, other cars passing from the other side of the road, the awesome song on the radio. I became more aware when I was stopped. I was frustrated at the inconvenience that this dump truck and construction was causing us. Yet I was beginning to enjoy it because I actually took this moment to be in the present instead of racing to where I need to be for the next.
God sees us racing through life on our own path. He brings it down to one lane to begin the process of slowing down and to narrow our vision. If we think that we need to turn left right now, sometimes God says to go 5-10 miles out of the way to go around and then turn down that lane. There is some kind of lesson to be learned in going the long way. In coming to a dead stop, God is getting your attention. He wants you to see and to hear. He wants to be with you in the present.
Our life is like all of this construction. Even though we see it as an inconvenience, only God knows the plan. God knows the bigger picture. He's stopping you so that He can re-pave your path. He stops you for that one moment because He wants the ride where He's leading you to be as smooth as it possibly can be.
Are you following His lead? How are you enjoying the restful stop He's caused to re-pave for you? Which areas of your life do you think God is re-paving? How can you be more aware of your surroundings and yourself? How are you showing God your gratitude for these pauses?
