Thoughts on a Well-Traveled Road - Homeword - September 16

Thoughts on a Well-Traveled Road

This devotional was written by Elizabeth Cole

…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. —Philippians 1:6

I loved traveling to work today. It had nothing to do with the autumn-hued trees nor the Midwest-brilliant sky, though they’re magnificent enough to bring tears to the eye. No, I was celebrating a totally smooth, sleek, shiny-black…highway. There wasn’t a single pothole or construction cone to hit the whole way from home to work.

Not so, this past summer. Our county’s finest construction crews were out in full force doing extensive and shall we say bothersome roadwork. At first, I tried to avoid it, but every creative new route I attempted only led to further detoured disappointment. The “road less traveled” just meant there were that many more cars at a standstill in one lane instead of two. All summer, the construction disrupted my timing, my ingrained patterns, and the way I’ve always done things.

How like our God, when we give Him our lives, telling Him we submit to His best, He takes us at our word! And the overhaul begins. I’m thinking of a time when God upended my life in a particular area, changing patterns and ways of interacting that I’d used for a long time. They weren’t very effective, of course, but they were familiar and they got me where I was going eventually. In His kindness, though, God had a smoother way in mind. A way that would result in my looking a whole lot more like the “real me” He has planned. So the inconvenience began, the pain was no fun, I felt lost more than not…and it sure took longer than I would have liked. But what a difference it’s made in a valuable relationship and I’ll just say: it was worth it.

Join me in celebrating beautiful, well-constructed highways today! And let’s just agree to remind ourselves of this moment next summer when those orange-vested crews start in again…

GOING DEEPER:

1. In what areas of your life are you resisting God’s constructive work? How might you choose to cooperate instead?

2. Take a moment to look back at the last several years of your life. In hindsight, in what areas do you need to thank God for His good work?

FURTHER READING:

Romans 5:1-5, 8:28-29; Colossians 1:10

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