Under Construction

There's this saying in Michigan: "There are two seasons: winter and construction."Truth.The interstate by my home is completely torn up - half of a bridge has completely vanished. Getting around is...challenging. (My husband can't even stop for Starbucks - gasp!)And all this construction made me remember a revelation I had a while ago. I was looking out our patio door and saw a construction cone. An ugly, orange monstrosity that scarred the otherwise peaceful landscape, standing staunchly in the middle of a hole in the pavement.Then a thought occurred to me, something I hadn't considered before: that cone was there to protect me.Normally, I see construction cones as an annoyance, a delay, something to slow me down, mess up my plans, and get in my way. But that day, I realized that it was there to protect those around it from something that would cause them harm.Something I hated was there to protect me.I've always hated boundaries. I know in my head that most are there for my good - I'm sure construction workers greatly appreciate the construction cones keeping cars from barreling into them - but I'm very stubborn, and much enjoy challenging the status quo. It's a good character trait - most of the time - but when I challenge the boundaries God lays out for me, I can fall right into a pothole.So what's your construction cone? It might be your past. God can use the mistakes in your past - as much as you hate them - to make sure you know not to go there again. Or maybe it's a decision in the present, one that you're making or one that's out of your control. God can use those circumstances to show you where He wants you to go.Because if we go where we want to go, and only hope to bring Him along, we will mess it up. Guaranteed.But if we go where He leads us, and pay attention to the orange cones He’s placed along our path, maybe, just maybe, we’ll discover the will of God. What could be more important than that?I want to know God's will. I want to go exactly where He wants me to go, be exactly where He wants me to be, and do exactly what He wants me to do.I just have to learn to recognize the construction cones along the way.