Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5,6 ESV)
Broken Things and Hope
When living up North, we used to say that the Dakotas had three seasons. Pre-roadwork, roadwork, and post-roadwork. I think the same could be said in most States.
Even though I am never excited to drive through a Construction Zone, I do feel a certain comfort. Roadwork now means smooth driving later. At least, most of the time.
The struggles and pains of our daily lives are a lot like rough roads. Potholes are often the result of irregular temperatures, just as our life-potholes are often the result of extreme life-changes. Cracks and chasms are often the result of rough usage, just as our life-cracks are the result of poor life-choices. Weeds spreading across unused roads are often the result of neglect, just as life-weeds are the result of inattention to what is really going on around us.
Local highway departments promise to fix those broken roads. More comforting, though, is God’s promise to make our paths straight. More comforting because God keeps His promises. More comforting because God has infinite resources. More comforting because God fixes more than a physical road.
Far too often, we have decided not to notice our crooked, broken roads. Christians, we seem to think, are not supposed to talk about our sorrows, our failures, or our present sins. Describing PAST brokenness is ok, as long as we can point to shiny new pavement.
But we are broken. We struggle with present shame, present tears, present sorrows, and present sins. The Good News of the gospel, though, is that God will straighten those paths!
Other road crews will fail. But God will not fail. Pretending we are not broken is ineffective. Blaming someone else does not help. Trying new programswill only lead to more potholes and cracks.
Hope as we travel our broken roads is never found in anything or anyone but Christ Jesus. And that is a sure, secure, absolute hope!
Take the hope God grants you.