Saturday, July 23, 2011

Road Construction

They are starting work on a new hospital close to where I work.  Part of the process involves improving the roads and access lanes to the new building.  One lane is closed on the busy highway where the improvements are being made.  I thought about the road construction crew.  Their only protection was the line of orange rubber cones that separated them from the line of traffic, moving about 50 m.p.h.  They were operating equipment and physically digging just a few feet from lethal impact, if a car were to lose control.  It occurred to me that this is the nature of road improvement and road construction.  It is dangerous by definition.  But it is necessary to build roads to carry us to work and to the doctor and to the store and (certainly for summer vacation!)  Every day thousands of individuals work inches from disaster to build the roads we need to walk through the routines of life.  There is another road that is being constructed...the road that leads to life in Heaven.  This is a road of service...of character and integrity...of sharing the Gospel in word and reinforcing actions.  This road construction is dangerous.  It takes place right next to the busy highways of the world, where people are flying through the busy days of their lives.  The road builders of Heaven are willing to sweat and dig in these danger zones because they know that people need to access the road to eternity from the road of this natural life.  They are building a limited access highway and the only exit runs through Jesus.  Some will be injured as construction proceeds but, ultimately it will be worth the price to make a clear and well marked route for others to move from a highway to the Higher Way.

Isaiah 62:10 Go out through the gates!
      Prepare the highway for my people to return!
   Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders;
      raise a flag for all the nations to see.
 

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