Caution! Construction Ahead!

I was sitting here the other day desperately trying to focus on my homework.
This college stuff is kicking my tail y'all, and I don't have that big of a load yet!
 Just as I started bury myself into my books, the loud rumble of a dump truck invaded my little bubble of focus. 

I groaned in annoyance and went back to work. 

Five minutes later another loud rumble of engines and the sound of the gravel being tossed about filled the air.
Goodness gracious I was not a happy girl.

But ok, I could do this. I could focus.
No.
I'm not even kidding when I say nearly every five minutes a dump truck would rumble by and interrupt my train of thought.
This didn't just last for an hour or even two, 

No, I wasn't that lucky. No this continued 

All. Day. Long. 

You can imagine my frustration. 

If you grew up with brothers like I did, then you more than likely played construction workers.
We would build cities and towns out of nothing but sticks, mud, and a few rocks and it made us feel like the whole world was in our hands. We could build anything. Fix anything too.
We were like Bob the Builder, but better.
(Speaking of Bob the Builder, what happened to him?!? They totally messed him up.)

This is NOT Bob!

Anyways, back on topic. :)
Though it was all fun and games when we were little, my view on construction work has greatly changed since then. 

Construction is loud, and annoying and in my opinion very inconvenient if you are in a hurry. I know it needs to be done, but man is it frustrating!

Throughout the summer, there was constant construction as the city was tearing up the road and paving new ones in preparation for football season.

(Apparently K-State football is a big deal around here.

Who knew ;)

Traffic always seemed to be backed up, no matter what time of the day it was.

I LOATHED driving through town as I knew if I got stuck behing a construction crew or traffic was backed up yet again, that I would be late to wherever I was going.

(I speak from experience ok?)

One of these moments occurred as I drove a carful of my giddy little sisters to the rodeo.

I had planned out the time to leave to ensure that we would make it before the rodeo started.

But just my luck. 

I got caught in construction traffic.

The spurs on my boots clanked as I tapped my foot impatiently.

Oh how I hated construction.

But y'all, if you think about it, we ourselves are construction sites. 

We have things in our lives that are messed up, worn down, and just downright ugly.

Just like the workers who worked their tails off on Tuttle creek hill as I passed by, secretly putting them on my I-don't-like-you list, God is working on us.

In a way, God is the ultimate construction worker, and our lives are his sites.

Each one of us is unique and requires our own set of 'plans' just like the many roads here in my town. 

Much to my surprise, the never ending roadwork was completed just as students started migrating back to good ol' Manhattan. 

Those workers could now take a step back and see their beautiful, fully efficient masterpieces. 

I believe that someday, that will be God to us. 

Philippians 2: 13 says: 

"For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose"

We are works in progress. I have a feeling that just as I get frustrated with the work in progress on campus, other people are so frustrated with me.
God included.
Sometimes we can stray from the plan got has so expertly created, causing problems and making things more difficult than they would have been if we had just followed the plan.

And this plan is GOD'S
Not ours.
God's.
Because believe me y'all, if this was my plan, oh buddy.
I would be a mess.

Ephesians 2:8 tells us:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the

gift of God-

And then again in Titus 3:5:

he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved

 us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit

And just in case we didn't get it the first few times, He tells us again in Philippians 3:9: 

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which 

is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

As I read through these verses, I imagined God saying

"See girl! I've told you over and over. You cannot do this on your own! You need Me!"

That is something that I continue to struggle with. I hate having to depend on others. I want to do everything by myself.  I've tried to make things in my life better all by myself. I didn't want to have to depend on God.

But I can't save myself, can I?

I can't follow my own plan, can I?

The answer is no ;)

Next time you drive through seemingly endless road construction and want to scream at the top of your lungs at those workers who have just totally ruined your day,

 just stop and think. 

Those guys are putting their all into fixing the task at hand-God is putting His all into working in you. 

So I advise you to take some time and thank God for everything He has done to get you to the place you are now, and for continuing to work in you. 

And maybe give those guys working in that scorching heat a smile once and a while. 

I'm sure they need it.