Under Construction



In the city where my daughter and family live there is a busy intersection under major construction. This particular roadway is at the confluence of a grocery store, the library, the high school, two elementary schools, and the city pool. It’s busy. 

One morning,  the flaggers halted traffic during rush hour. Quickly, the backup extended blocks in four directions.


Want to test someone’s patience? Stop traffic when school starts on time, and you’re stuck for at least 15 minutes. I listened to a chorus of honking horns.


I watched kids get out of cars and walk to school rather than be stuck in traffic.




And then I walked past a sign next to the torn-up intersection: 


    Love is a two-way street constantly under construction.


Love is under constant construction—as in never fully finished?


I thought about my young married days when my love was like a honking horn during traffic backups—I had no patience for love to do its work. 


Then I recall trying to force my one-way solutions. That just created more backups.


And this is how I know my love is still under construction: I like to grab the wheel even though it’s not my turn to drive. Love is patient, so the Bible says.


As I walked past all the stopped cars, I saw lots of unhappy faces. What a tough start to the day.


Then as I walked past the flagger, I smiled and waved.  I figured she could use some kindness on this backed-up morning. She smiled back. Just offering a bit of love on a two-way street under construction.





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