LATE NIGHT CONSTRUCTION... a piece of my heart

A PIECE OF MY HEART

"Now determine in your mind and HEART to seek the Lord your God"

1 CHRONICLES 22:19

LATE NIGHT CONSTRUCTION

Last night I had to drive to the airport to pick my husband up. He has been in Boston for the past five days teaching a Christian Education Seminar. His arrival time was to be at 5 pm, but due to rain, his flight was delayed in Boston. Upon arrival in Chicago, he had missed his connection to Memphis so he had to wait for the next flight. 4 1/2 hours later he was finally boarding a plane to come home.

He was to arrive in Memphis around 10 pm, I headed out the door at 9:30 to drive across the mississippi river to meet him as he got off of the plane. But I did not get very far, the traffic on the bridge was backed up, and not moving. All around me were these big semi trucks and I was crunched right in the middle.

hmmmm. Was it an accident up ahead? or a construction zone? If you live around here, you are too familiar with the nightmare of needing to get across the river when there is a delay on the bridge. Unfortunetly, there is no other way to get across the river besides waiting it out.

I waited awhile, but nobody was moving. All three lanes were at a standstill.

....I can't stand to be late!

....and now my husband was going to have to WAIT at another airport for who knows how long just because I can't get across the bridge!

It was getting late and I was all alone (not the safest thing to do at 10:00 at night in Memphis) and I only have 2 bars left on my cell phone before it is going to die. If only there was another way to get there, I thought. Certainly there is an escape from this nightmare of a traffic jam so late at night.

Just right ahead, there is the last exit right before the river. If only I could get over to it. I could at least turn around and go home and wait this out. I edge my way between two big semi trucks and weave over into the next lane. I see my escape ahead, the exit waits for me.

As I get nearer to the exit, I see ahead what the problem is. It isn't an accident at all. It is late night construction. They are replacing something and have the highway closed. I am able to get off the highway and manuever my way around past the construction and get back on the highway and make my way across the bridge.

My husband's plane was late...so I had plenty of time to be in position to greet him as he arrived. Isn't God good!

I share all of that because today as I was thinking about this delay that I experienced, God reminded me that too often we come upon "bumps in the road" or "detours" in life. When life's problems come at us hard, we look for exits or escapes to get us out of the difficulty.

We forget that sometimes God needs us to slow down, and look to Him for the answer. He has already provided us with a way of escape, but we need to lean upon His understanding and let God take control of the wheel.

1 CORINTHIANS 10:13

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it."

So if you find yourself late at night (or during the day) looking for an escape...

- LEAN UPON GOD -

- HE WILL MAKE A WAY -

and that's a piece of my heart today;

Blessings, Laurie