my favourite construction sign
I know it’s a little late in the season for this, but the message is timeless, so here goes!
It’s often joked that in Canada, the four seasons are Fall, Winter, Spring, and Construction. Because the conditions in Canada are usually so forbidding, summertime is the only time that construction can be accomplished, and construction companies attack their projects with a vengeance. There is no hesitation to shut down major roads, often for the entire summer season. I’m sure you’ve experienced the dreaded orange and yellow signs, flashing lights, and vehicles on duty, blocking the road. You’ve probably been late at least once due to unexpected roadworks. Detours are a regular occurrence during the warmer months of the year.
For the past three years in a row I’ve had to take detours to work during the summer, as the routes I habitually used were taken over by construction. And while I generally don’t love the signs that announce construction, there is one sign that has become somewhat of a dear friend, a good reminder. This is the Expect Delays sign.
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I have a section in my weekly planner titled simply “unexpected.” I use it to remind myself to leave some margin—little gaps for grace and divine appointments to seep into my life. Because while goal-setting and planning your way through the day is productive and even good, if it causes us to miss out on the people right in front of us, it is a detriment.
My sister, Rebekah, and I were discussing the Expect Delays sign a few weeks ago. She had texted to let me know that she’d be visiting at a specific time, which came and went without her arrival. Fifteen minutes after the agreed-upon time, she knocked sheepishly on the door. There was construction along the way, she shared, and at the start of her trip, she didn’t factor in any delays.
This wasn’t a big deal, but think of how often in life you and I simply forget that delays and unexpected happenings occur on a regular basis!
Things take longer than expected. We have to wait for a plan or dream to reach fruition. We are beset from reaching our goals with accidents, car repairs, and people. Sometimes, we have to lay our own plans aside to deal with something urgent. Sometimes, we have to lay our own plans aside for things we would rather not do at all.
But here’s the thing: a delay does not mean you’ll never get to your destination.
Whenever I think about delays, I usually think about my garden. Our backyard faces North, and if you know anything about gardening, you know that this is not optimal. For most of the day, my garden is in deep shade, the sun blocked out by our house, trees, and garage. For most of the day, my garden struggles. This year was particularly bad because I neglected to water and weed it. I kind of left it to fend for itself, and let’s just say that if this were a survival of the fittest, my garden would be the first to die. Every single one of my plants save the peas was pathetic. We didn’t harvest a single vegetable. Gardens are always an exercise in patience, but this year, it was an exercise in disappointment.
Every year, I plant sunflowers. I love the colors, the smell, and picking fresh bouquets for friends. This year, though, my sunflowers were nothing but spindly stalks. I gave up on them. However, late in September, long after everything in my disappointing garden shrivelled up and turned brown, I happened to be taking out the trash when I was shocked by a glimpse of yellow. My sunflowers, so late in the year, had bloomed.
This delay between the time that I planted the seed (May) to the time that I picked my first sunflower (September) was huge! Almost half a year had gone by, but somehow, my sunflowers managed to bloom though the growing season was over.
Can I encourage you for a moment, friend? Delays are not forever. Sometimes, delays are God’s way of getting our attention, of lifting our chin to look upwards. To be reminded of life outside of our to-do lists and of the abundant life available through Christ. By expecting delays, we relinquish control of our lives and allow God to work things out in His timing. Of course, this doesn’t mean we are passive, but it means that whatever happens, we keep pressing forward, onward and upwards, closer to Christ.
Delays are not forever.
Sometimes delays are painful. Sometimes delays feel agonizingly slow. Sometimes delays are delightful reprieves during a busy season. Whatever delay you are experiencing—it’s not the end of the story. Delays are not forever. Delays are not always negative. Sometimes this pivoting moment serves to recenter your focus and get you back on the right track.
Life necessitates delays. Derailed plans. Slow traffic. Long queues. Waiting. But within those delays lie beauty, goodness, and light if you will open your eyes to see it. Ask God to show you where He is in your situation. Ask God to be with you. Ask God to make your delays worthwhile.
He is faithful, good, and kind. He will do what is best for you, even if it involves delays.
So next time you sit in construction or see an Expect Delays sign, let that remind you that He is with you in the waiting. He is enough, though your waiting seems endless. You are held and kept, safe in His loving arms.
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
—2 Peter 3:8-9
