Work in Progress (Under Construction)
By Destiney McIntosh
We see the caution tape and think DANGER
“Do not cross”
I say wait and watch
As the debris that you see
Is brought together
Behind the caution tape
Lies a foundation
And materials brought together to make a frame
We see the caution tape and think DANGER
Do not cross
I see a work in progress
The debris around me
They are the materials that create me
The hole that is deep
Must be that way for my foundation to
STAND
They say the deeper the foundation
The HIGHER you stand
The debris it seems it’s been there for a while
When will they add to the frame?
Mind the caution tape
Not as a warning of danger
But a reminder of the process
WAIT and WATCH
The work in progress
–10.15.18
I wrote this poem for a class, and I didn’t realize the way it would continue to speak to me after the fact.
This blog is an ongoing lesson about process. Not necessarily just a lesson that I am trying to spread to other people, but a lesson that I am learning myself. In life I am learning that good things take time. In life I am learning that the things that look messy are not always negative, don’t always need to be avoided but are sometimes necessary for growth. This is something I (or we, but I don’t want to speak for everyone) don’t always like to confront. I don’t like to address the mess in life. I want to believe that everything is, will be, is supposed to be perfect. But the beauty in life is in the process, and the process doesn’t start from perfection. The process comes from chaos, clearing it, understanding it.
In practical terms, this blog is a process. I was dealing with my previous link. Dealing with my confidence in it reaching people. Concerned with numbers. I think God had me take a step back for these past few weeks, so that I could get back to the root of the purpose of this blog. To spread light. To share my story as I am on this journey. To be a light for him. Not be so concerned with how many people like my post or view my page, but just continue to create positive, encouraging content and trust that he will do his part.
It’s the same with life. There is a role we play in the process and there is a role that God plays. We may not understand every object that goes into creating our tower, but he does. We may not understand every tool or even the design, but he does. I heard someone say once that no one starts building a building without a plan. They plan out every single detail for the design of the building and God does the same with out lives. He plans out every single detail. The word says that he knows every intricate part of us, and wrote every single day of our lives before we were even born (Psalm 139: 13, 16)
That is why I am committed to trusting the process. Because there is hope and peace in knowing that even if I may not know every detail, the Creator does. My role is to be created, molded, and shaped. My role is to be. Be obedient. Be still. Be aware. I think some of the stress in the process comes when I take on a role that was never designed for me in the first place. The building does not try to be the architect, the poem does not try to be the poet, the song does not try to be the musician. Not to say that we have no charge over our life, because the difference between those things and us is that we have free will. We have choice. But God brings me back to center, reminds me that my process is all for a purpose and when I choose to put it in his hands, I can trust that it will all work out according to his design.
The masterpiece is always better when left in the hands of the artist. Counterfeits can never truly compare, and don’t have as much value. I want my ways to align with his intention because he created me on purpose. And though I don’t always do the right thing, I thank God for grace and redirection. Without Him I would be lost. I would be caught up in the debris, thinking he gave up on me, when really he is using every single thing around me so that I will stand tall for his glory.
I am a work in progress.
