Designed With the Big Picture in Mind

Driving across Interstate highways to take my son to college today, I couldn’t help thinking what a tangled mess our Interstate system seemed to be. Roads crisscross and parallel each other. Cloverleafs circle round in a dizzying spiral.

While right on top of it, I couldn’t imagine how anyone could have planned such a system successfully.

Close up, America’s road system looked like a disaster waiting to happen.

And it would be if experts hadn’t seen more than I did during my trip.

It is only through careful design that a transportation system could be created that actually delivers people to their destination in an efficient manner.  The entire blueprint had to be drawn from afar before constructing individual sections. And the big picture had to be kept in mind while designing it.

When experiencing it, the highway system doesn’t seem to make sense, but when we step back and view the entire network, an amazing expression of ingenuity and planning is revealed. Without the roundabouts and on and off ramps, travel would be significantly restricted and considerably slower.

The same can be said for my life. Up close, it looks like I’m traveling a tangled mass of mess. Often confusing. Usually with turns and twists. Filled with  obstacles and detours.

Instead of an ingenious idea, I see an impending wreck.

With my restricted vision, it doesn’t look like I will ever get anywhere.

So I continue to stumble along, desperately trying to plan the route to avoid toll booths, off-ramps, and times of construction.

But although I don’t have the capability to see the big picture of my life, to see where I’m going and how I will get there, God tells me He does. Moreover, He has

“plans for [my] welfare, not for disaster, to give [me] a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11b).

With that assurance, I can quit trying to create my own linear path and trust in His curvy one.

I am thankful for the engineers with the knowledge to look at the big picture when designing roadways. They allow for safer, more efficient travel.

I am even more grateful for the Chief Engineer of my life.

He not only sees it from start to finish, but He drew up the plans—always for my good to His glory. And when viewed through His all-encompassing lens, all turns and twists miraculously straighten.

Seen from afar, my journey is a masterpiece of design.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight”(Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV1984).

Share in the Discussion: Do you see your life journey as a masterpiece of design or a wreck in the making? How could you get a better perspective?

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