God P.Eng. M.Universe

With summer nearly over, I’d like to share with you one of my simple (yet ironically complicated) joys:

Construction

Yes I know, I’m probably crazy but seeing and being involved in construction, whether it’s road or structures, brings me a lot of joy. This simple joy came about after being put in the middle of road construction for a majority of my university co-op terms. The knowledge, insight, and awesome (not) farmer’s tan that I took away from the experiences are things I’ve come to value.

Before my co-op terms, I could say I took construction for granted. It wasn’t until my work terms that I learned that there are sewer (sanitary and storm) and water pipes installed under the road. With the exception of the water main, the pipes are gravity-driven and have to be sloped at a specific percentage in order for the fluid (whether it’s storm water or wastewater) to flow properly to its final destination, either a stormwater management facility (aka pond) or a wastewater treatment plant. If you think about it, there are so many kilometers of pipe under our roads that all have a design and destination. Even with roads and sidewalks, they have to be sloped a certain way to ensure the water flows to the catch basins and doesn’t create unnecessary puddles.

Now that I’m given the opportunity to design these pipes and roads as a project engineer, I realize that every little thing has to be thought of prior to construction; everything has to be given a specific purpose and design. Things aren’t left up to chance and workers and designers don’t just “wing it” for the sake of the public’s safety.

What amazes me and brings me joy is that construction reminds me of God. Everything that we can touch, everything that we see has the indelible mark of God on it. Just like how bricks are laid one by one by the hand of the worker, every single atom that exists has been designed, touched, and carefully placed by our Creator.

“All creatures that exist are in the hands of God. The action of the creature can only be perceived by the senses, but faith sees in all things the action of the Creator. It believes that in Jesus Christ all things live, and that his divine operation continues to the end of time, embracing the passing moment and the smallest created atom in its hidden life and mysterious action. The action of the creature is a veil which covers the profound mysteries of the divine operation.” – Jean-Pierre de Causs

A lot of the time, however, things don’t always go as planned. More often times than not, it is because of miscommunication. People interpret things differently and if confusion is not cleared up, roads, for example, could be constructed too wide or with insufficient slope. With our faith life, I am constantly reminded of the importance of communication with the Ultimate Engineer.

During my confession a few weeks ago, Father reminded me of something very important, something I always seem to forget: What God desires from our prayer is not success, but faithfulness. The first fruit of prayer is charity, because it is with that virtue that we will be able to see God in all things and love unceasingly. 

Only through constant communication with our Creator will we be able to truly abide by His Will, where we will be able to properly construct His masterpiece of our lives and appreciate His presence in all things.

Lord, I thank you for being present in all that I see and all that I do. I continue to pray for the will to be consistent in my communication with you so that I may never fail to see you in everything and everyone, and that I may live out the plans You have for me.