As I was going down the road today, I saw a sign for road construction ahead. Despite my frustration with the slow drive, I learned a lot from the following conversation with my 6 year old. Immediately my son asked me what the flashing orange sign said and meant. I then tried my best to explain the reconstruction process for broken roads. Believe me, it was interesting.

As I explained the process, I started to realize the parallel that road construction has to the Christian life.

At times, our roads inevitability will get a little bumpy and hard to maneuver. Theyll take twists and turns, speed up and slow down, and sometimes cause us to get lost along the way. When our roads start to break down and cause us trouble, each pothole can and will cause us and others to stumble. Overtime, if not fixed, construction will need to be done.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

That’s the next step of God’s amazing plan. When the brokenness gets too rough, God intervenes with a sometimes painful construction process. 

At first, He begins by breaking down every broken piece that has become a stumbling block in our path. It’s a rocky process and oftentimes painful, but it breaks away the pieces, the memories, and sometimes the people, that no longer need to be in our path. 

As the dust settles, He starts the remodeling process and fills in the brokenness with a solution that only He can provide, His love. He smooths out the bumps, fills our brokenness, and allows us to start over with a clean slate. 

Last of all, He applies a sealant that protects us from upcoming battles and gives us the strength to survive. He heals our brokenness and makes us a new creation, beautiful and prepared to start again. 

“Therefore, if anyone isin Christ, he isa new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” 2 Corinthians 5:17

God knows that over time, we will fail and accrue new brokenness pieces, injuries that will stray us from our path, but He will always be there to start construction all over again.

If your foundation is strong, rooted in the love of Christ, the path will always be there, and there may be times that you get lost or your path gets worn down, but God will always be there to start construction all over again and give you another chance.

Just hold on. It’s a bumpy road, but God will never leave you. Construction will always be waiting, you just have to ask for it.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

May God bless you and show you His grace every day!

“My sheep listen to My voice. I know them and they follow Me.” John 10:27

As sheep to the Great Shepherd, we are called to follow Him in all that we do. The reason God calls His people “sheep” is because sheep are weak and lost without their shepherd to lead them. If a sheep were left alone to live in the wilderness, he would eventually get lost from his flock and have little chance of survival. The shepherd is there to protect the sheep, lead them where they should go, feed them when they are hungry, and guide them through the rough patches they come upon. Even when a sheep goes astray, the shepherd will leave his flock to find the lost one and bring him back home. Our Shepherd, is Jesus Christ.

“Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke 15:3-7

Jesus, our Great Shepherd, is our guide in life. When we are lost, He will find us and lead us home. When are going through a rough and rocky path, He will wait for us patiently and give us a way out. When we are alone, He will be right there with us. He sits with us in the darkness, He guides us in the Light, and He holds us on His shoulders when we are lost and broken. He is our Shepherd.

Listen to the Shepherd, hear His voice, and follow Him.

May God bless you and show you His grace every day!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcomethe world.” John 16:33

When the darkness surrounds you and the clouds are circling your mind it’s easy to want to run, to race away from the storm. It’s hard trust God and know that He is in control, that better days are ahead. In sickness, an end is in sight, a breath of fresh air is right around the corner. In death, your journey is almost over, you are almost home. In life, your struggles will end, God has already overcame the world. If you’ll just turn your eyes to God, you’ll see the brightness coming your way. Take your focus off the storm. Embrace the journey but racing to His loving arms and you’ll see the joy that stands before you. 

May God bless you and show you His grace every day!

 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, the Bible says, “²⁴ Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. ²⁶ Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; ²⁷ but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

Most days, I feel like I am running in a race from the moment I wake up to the moment I try to close my eyes at night. There are some nights I feel as though I need an off button for my brain because even when I close my eyes, my brain is still running in circles processing every little unnecessary detail of life. Does anyone else have this problem? It’ll be 2am and I’ll be wide awake making a to-do list in my brain for the next 20 years. It’s like we are so busy in life that we don’t even know how to rest.

The Bible tells us in Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Notice the first 2 words of that verse, “be still.” There have been a few days, ok a lot of days, that my oldest son has woke up super early in the morning and crawled into my bed. As a mom, I love when my boys want to spend time with me, cuddle, and just be my little boys for one more day. I know there will be a day that they will be “too cool” for mom time, so for now, I’m going to enjoy every moment of it. On the days that my son crawls into bed with me, I want him to be a little cuddle bug and super sweet, but what I get is a gymnast that just drank a gallon of caffeine. He literally cannot be still (or quiet) with or without caffeine. He never slows down, even when he sleeps. In the hour or two before my alarm goes off, he probably cuts 50 – 100 flips, counts to 1,000, and tells 10 different stories. His little mind is like a carousal that never stops spinning. I love him to death, but “being still” is not in his nature.

I talk about my little boys being wild, never slowing down, and running everywhere they go, but the truth is, adults are just the same. When I wake up, I make my coffee, take a shower, do my hair, get myself ready, run like a wild maniac to get the boys ready, call in search and rescue to find socks and shoes for both kids, chase at least one boy up the stairs trying to get them to eat their breakfast, throw on whatever I can, reheat my coffee because I forgot about it, rush out the door to take the boys to school and daycare, and somehow just somehow make it to the car on time or possibly a few minutes late. Either way, it’s always hectic. It’s like a race every morning and that’s only 1 hour of my day.

God wants you to be in a race daily. He wants you to run like you have a purpose. He wants you to never stop running towards Him.

The problem with today’s society is that we are constantly running a race, but we aren’t running on the right track. As Christians, we are told to make disciples, to serve God, and to love others. How can we do that if we’re too busy? Life is a constant rush, but it’s important to remember what you should be rushing after.

To make it simple, in your daily life, stay focused on Christ.

Don’t let the busyness of the world slow you down or distract you from racing after God.

Serve God with purpose.

Serve God with an urgency to lead others to Christ.

Serve with the thought that today could be your last day on earth.

If you died today, who would you leave behind that doesn’t know Christ? Who were you too busy to slow down and tell about God?

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 broken down means:

²⁴ Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.”

No one enters a race to just go for a jog. When you are in a race, you run to win. As a Christian, your race is focused on the Father. Make serving Him your goal, your finish line.

 ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. ²⁶ Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 

At the finish line of a Christian’s race, is the glory of heaven above. Don’t forget where you are headed, and don’t leave anyone behind.

²⁷ but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

Serving takes sacrifice and discipline. In the busyness of this world, there will be days that are hard to slow down and focus on Christ. There will always be something else in your life trying to distract you from serving God. The devil doesn’t want you to have time to follow God’s will for your life. He would much rather distract you with so many other things. Athletes prepare for a race by exercising, training, and conditioning their bodies to adapt to whatever competition they may come up against. As a Christian, prepare yourself for the battles that will come ahead. Read your Bible, serve Him with others, encourage other believers, and serve with purpose.

If you are busy doing God’s work, you won’t have time to get distracted by this world.

Slow down. Stay focused. Serve Him. Never give up.

May God bless you and show you His Grace every day!