I was driving South on 395 yesterday, and noticed as I passed all the road construction that they had it all very well marked so you could steer clear of it all, and not mess up what they were doing, and stay safe, but I couldn’t help but notice how abruptly it ended.  It was so strange to me.  No signs, no markings saying, “near the end”, and the bright orange cones just stopped, right in the middle of the road -  which allowed me to go on about my business and maneuver into my desired lane with no hassle.

When we find ourselves in road construction it’s sometimes difficult to stay patient.  When the crew gestures wildly, it’s hard not to become frustrated.  When you slow to nearly a crawl, when you have places to be, it’s a challenge to bite your tongue.

We get impatient when our lives get road blocked too.  You think you know where you’re going, you’ve done the proper preparation, you are happily zooming through life, and all of a sudden you come to a screeching halt. Grrrrrrrrrr! Delayed! What on earth is going on here!?

David was able to relate to these feelings.  In Psalm 90:13-16 He says,

¹³ O Lord, come back to us!
How long will you delay?
Take pity on your servants!
¹⁴ Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love,
so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
¹⁵ Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery!
Replace the evil years with good.
¹⁶ Let us, your servants, see you work again;
let our children see your glory.

We should be constantly amazed by God’s goodness and be grateful even in times of waiting, not simply looking for the next hand out.  These times of waiting are often just little tests from God.  They are a way for Him to show us His glory.  They can be permanent road markers in our lives, that point us back to a place of remembrance.  Throughout the Old Testament there are passages in scripture where God told people to build a monument on a notable spot where God met with them.  I figure, “hey I’m stuck here anyway, so I might as well make it mean something.”  Joshua 4:5-6 says, “Each of you is to take up a stone…to serve as a sign among you.  In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them…”

We are to remember even the seemingly bad times in our lives, because they show us how much God has done for us.  They become markers of faith and God’s power to future generations. When we are able to our attention from out need, and look for Him, He shows up in amazing and unexpected ways.

It got me questioning, what are the markers in my life?  Photographs are really good markers.  Children’s artwork and report cards are too.  Tangible items we purchase stand as monuments at times too.

During a stressful season, I bought a hammock for my husband.  Even now, after much of the stress has subsided, I can look out my window at the hammock, and remember how God helped us find peace and rest during that time.

God wants to use all aspects of our lives, and He desires that we be grateful in and through all things.  So I encourage you, whether this season you’re in is flying by at breakneck speed, or you’ve been road blocked, set up a marker of remembrance today.  You will look back on it and see God’s glory in it.