From Gravel to Grace

Road construction can be a real pain!  Over the past week, there's been a whole crew working on the street right in front of my house. It started off with them just patching up some of the rougher spots and potholes. Jackhammers going off at the crack of dawn, dump trucks rumbling by every five minutes. It was chaos!

The next thing I knew, they were reworking the entire road surface, leaving a bed of loose gravel in their wake. Suddenly, our once-decent road became this rocky, uneven mess. Driving on it is like navigating an off-road course, and our poor car is taking a beating.

I'll admit, there have been a few times I’ve gotten pretty frustrated with the whole situation. The noise, the dust, the lack of access—it’s been one inconvenience after another. I’ve found myself grumbling under my breath as cars travel down the rough road, sounding like the rumble of a freight train instead of barely making a noise like they did before.

But. I’ve had to stop and remind myself of the end goal here. As uncomfortable as this process is, it leads to something better—a new, smoother road. I just have to hang tough and trust it will all be worth it.

And you know, as I’ve bounced along that gravel road each day, it's struck me how much this whole experience is like our walk with the Lord. Because life isn't just a smooth journey from start to finish, is it? There will be those seasons of difficulty, times when it seems like things keep getting rougher and bumpier.

It could be financial struggles, relationship problems, or health issues. Whatever it is, it can make the road ahead look daunting, even impassable sometimes. We're bouncing around, getting jostled and beaten up, wondering how much more we can take.

But just like that road crew, God's got a plan in the works. He's patching up the potholes and ripping out the old stuff so He can rebuild and restore. And while that process is rarely comfortable or easy, we know the end result will be more than worth it.

The bumps and detours are only temporary, friends. If we keep travelling forward in faith, we can look forward to smoother days ahead. As Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

So, let's keep that expected end in view, shall we? No matter how rough the terrain gets, our God is working behind the scenes to pave the way for blessings.