Holy Fervor
Sweet Melody
The Construction Zone
Diligently I set out, MapQuest in hand, ready to conquer, I had a purpose, a plan, my mission stood firm. Then suddenly my mission took a different course. Danger! Slow down! Construction in progress…. Creeping to the left, then to the right, there must some be a place to turn around, to back track! No! Sternly I was ushered onward. Move forward, I was cautioned! No one seemed to care that time stood still. Becoming more and more enclosed I saw the warning signs encroaching upon my path, ruts jarring my way. Detoured I became frustrated, disoriented, mission blurred, plans over turned, my purpose lost. I found it to be true test to my character.
It’s pretty hard to grasp the meaning of construction when it’s in process. When our surroundings are in disarray, our journey altered. Sure in the car it might only be a momentary inconvenience. But when life is ushered into the construction zone, it feels like an impossible road block.
The first signs to this process started for me a little over two years ago, as I strolled through the park enjoying the sight of a squirrel scampering through the trees. It was a beautiful February day that felt more like summer than winter. Soaking in the sun, studying my new little friend moving from tree to tree, the winter day felt odd, out of season. The trees stood tall, dormant, branches bare. That’s when the thought first accrued to me, GROWTH. We were created to grow in a world created to grow. Not profound by any means, yet growth is vital for our existence. Without growth we become dormant, like tree’s waiting for sunnier days. As I began to ponder this thought, it captivated my heart. Growth is a journey, like my new little friends excursion, navigating through the forest. It’s where we find adventure, creativity, and excitement. It’s where the impossible can become possible. Dreams can become reality, the unthinkable thinkable. Growth helps to define who we are as it builds upon our insights, understanding, and knowledge. As I considered this “GROWTH”, I struggled to put it into perspective. For the fist time in a long time my dreams were in view, my mission in site. Yet, to my dismay, I couldn’t shake that dormant tree waiting for a sunnier day. Unknowingly, I was being ushered toward the construction zone of life.
Have you ever drove your car into a construction zone and wondered why they decided to tear up a street that looked perfectly fine? This seems rather inconvenient to me. A roadway is built on foundational layers. The condition of the foundation determines the quality of a road. A road that looks free from danger on the surface can have damage underneath due to the elements it’s been exposed to over time. Without repair one storm can change what appeared to be a sound surface into pot holes, ruts, even sinks holes. When God looks at our life He doesn’t look at the surface, He looks down deep into the depths of our heart. He checks for damage under the surface? He knows we will always be exposed to the elements of life. Erosion and suffering come within an impure world that gives birth to injustices of every kind. The question isn’t if we will face trials, we will! Trials are unavoidable. God ushers us into the construction zone out of love and concern for what he see’s developing under the surface. The dormant part of me wanted to ignore theses warning signs. Why go there? I wanted life to move on. I had a purpose, a plan in view, I was ready to conquer. But deep down I knew something needed to change. Proverbs 16:9 says “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Truthfully I was happy with life, when I caught sight of my little friend scampering among the branches. Growth sounded like an adventure. But the more I prayed about growth the more God kept me away from the dormancy detour and pushed me into the construction zone, where growth was possible. Personally I don’t really like the initial stages of construction. The part that requires things to be stripped away, laid bare, bringing into contact the true state of foundational footings. Thankfully construction does have an outcome. There is an end result. Transforming GROWTH. I had a plan mapped out but God set my course to a better one, one with new found joy, healing and freedom, a new road full of adventure to explore and grow upon.
The beautiful thing about dormancy is that it’s all part of Gods perfect timing. Trees are given a needed period of rest, preparing them for a new season. Then elements change and favorable growing conditions arrive. The sun rises higher, the light shines brighter, the days grow warmer. This stimulates the roots to reach out for nutrients and fresh water, causing new growth to burst forth. Colossians 2:7 tells us “Let your roots grow down into him (Jesus Christ), so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught.” It is the root system that carries a tree though dormancy, helps it to stand though all seasons, and enables it to get the nutrients it needs. The construction process may not be a joyful experience in and of its self; but we can trust God knows the perfect timing and need of our heart. I have never found joy in the midst of troubles. But I have found joy in the transforming growth that emerges from them!
“Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything” James 1:2-4