Roads, Where We're Going We Don’t Need Roads

It had been a very wet year in Iowa in 1909.  Also, that year had seen a boom in sales in automobiles; the Model T had come out that year.  So that winter the citizens of Iowa realized that it sure would be nice if they had a paved road that crossed the state.  To get it accomplished, during the rest of the winter, officials contacted all the communities along the route and had them to get together supplies for construction of an interstate when it got warmer.  On one Saturday in the summer of 1910; everyone went to the road at 9 a.m. sharp and started paving.  One hour later, the road was done, and by evening, all the road signs were up.  It wasn't a terrible rush job either, it was widely recognized as the “standard of the world” and would be the template for all interstates to come.

The fact that they'd built a 380-mile-long road in one hour was pretty unbelievable, but even more unbelievable is what happened next.  The convoluted journey the road took from physically existing to officially existing as a state highway.  It only took an hour to build, but it took 10 years for the government to make it a formality.  First, it took three years to create the State Highway Commission.  Then three more years for the roads sponsors to get the letters to get it registered.  Then months and months of paperwork, delays, bureaucratic mix ups until finally it could become an “official road”.  One hour, one Saturday morning to build, ten years to get it approved.

            I have done some work for organizations that behaved the same way.  Hours of meeting and discussion, lots of hoops to jump thru, egos to be stroked, axes to be ground, all to take care of one simple task.  It can be maddeningly frustrating.  I have also seen similar things in the church.  Task that needs to be done, good works to be taken care of, great ideas ready to be implemented that come to a grinding halt, not because of a lack of willingness to work, but because of the poor communication and organization.  It seems we can’t get out of our own way.  I wonder how many great things could be built like this, if we just concentrated more on what needed to be done and less on all the other less important things, like who gets credit, who gets to be in charge, what everyone else is doing, what people will think or say.

            In the church we are not interested in building roads, but we are very interested in following the path to heaven.  That road is set, but we still are working to travel that path and get as many people on that road as well.  What if instead of putting us on the 10 year plan of infighting, complaining, bickering,  power struggles, and quarreling, we rolled up our sleeves got out our pick axes and shovels and got to work.  What could we accomplish in an hour, a day, a year?  There is great work to be done, are we in the way or on the way?