Seeing God through the Construction

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Posted by: Kathy from Mornings | Monday, September 8th, 2025 (12:00am)

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.—2 Corinthians 4:17 

I love summer in Michigan—but with it comes a sea of orange traffic cones. Road closures, detours, and construction delays become part of the daily routine. When I see them, I immediately brace for a longer commute and a wave of frustration. Maybe you don’t feel that way, but I definitely do.  

A few weeks ago, I took a short road trip with my daughter before she headed back to college. She was napping in the passenger seat, and I had plenty of time to think about how annoyed I was as we crawled through yet another wave of construction. 

I mean, the slow down alone is maddening, but does it really have to last for miles? Half the time the actual work being done is limited to only one small section, yet it feels like we’re shuffled into a single lane long before we get there. A route that should take five minutes winds up taking half an hour. Sometimes the road lines shift so haphazardly that knowing where the lane is has suddenly become a mystery. And those cement blocks they use as temporary lane barrier? I’m not claustrophobic, but I can empathize with those who are when those are boxing me in!  

But then, amid my silent rant, a second thought suddenly popped in. What if there were no repairs at all? No slowdowns, no repaving, no maintenance. I’d probably be complaining even more about the terrible condition of the roads. Without upkeep, they’d become dangerous and nearly impossible to drive on. It can be easy to forget that not long-ago roads were nothing but a trail consisting of dirt, mud, and rocks subject to unpredictable weather conditions and the changing seasons. Back then, travel took days if not weeks, and the journey was often full of setbacks simply because a smooth path did not yet exist.  

I realized that maybe these encounters with road construction are a way for God to remind us that He’s doing something similar in our lives as we navigate the path to eternity. What if Jesus hadn’t made a way for us? What if eternal life wasn’t our hope? Many before us would have died without that promise. But God did prepare the way—through Jesus. Yet, the road to get there isn’t always smooth. Sometimes circumstances slow us down and create a minor inconvenience, and sometimes things can come to a complete stop, filling us with anger and frustration. There are times when the lines aren’t as clear as we’re used to, and we aren’t sure which direction to go. We may even experience moments when we’re feeling boxed in and searching for escape. But we need to trust that God is always behind the wheel, driving us exactly where we need to go.

So, the next time we encounter road construction, look at it as a gentle reminder that life’s traffic jams might feel endless in the moment, but compared to the rest of our lives they happen in a flash. And while the route may not always be easy, and we may experience several detours along the way, one day it will be nothing but a memory of the journey we made to reach the perfect destination—eternal life with Jesus. And I’ll take every earthly inconvenience to reach that place any day! 

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