So I went to my daughter's to babysit the other day. It was pouring rain. I turned down the country road leading to her home, drove about 100 feet and was met with the scene pictured above.
"BRIDGE OUT". "BRIDGE OUT."
A mixed bag of thoughts ran through my head. I needed to get to my daughter's. I'd have to turn around, drive another mile down the highway, take an unfamiliar road, watch for an adjoining connection, double-back down the road and hope for the shortest route. Not too big a deal, but a bit aggravating. The inconvenience didn't serve to fill my life with much sunshine on such a rainy day. As I drove on, I thought about that tattered bridge. I was still thinking about it when I crested a hill and a stop-sign loomed into view. I hit my brakes and skidded to a halt, barely making the stop. My heart thundered in my chest as my tires refused to grip the wet road.
Now, I was really thinking about that bridge and its inability to meet my needs.
For months I'd passed over that little country bridge constructed of huge wooden railway ties. The worn pavement barely covered the ties with tar any longer. Tractor-trailers aren't allowed over it. I'd think as I crossed, "This doesn't even seem safe for a car, never mind an eighteen-wheeler." There are no guardrails. If two cars, unfamiliar with the bridge, met there on a dark rainy night, one, or both, would tumble into the ravine. It's simply not wide enough for two. "Someone ought to fix it." And now, someone was doing just that; but it irritated me.
Life is like that bridge. A bridge usually closes a gap between two spaces. It makes one side accessible to another. While one can cross with care, two would surely fail. Sometimes it's not strong enough to hold the weight some might expect it to hold. Sometimes we can continue to cross it, but eventually the wear and tear of storms and traffic presents an impassable moment. That's when we must stop and recognize the danger. That's when we must take steps to fix the problem. Or in my case, find another path.
Bridges from past to present. Generation to generation.
Bridges of understanding are built to aid in communication and relationships. Yet all too often, we take those bridges for granted. We assume they will always be there for us to get where we're going. Often we do not want to wait for another to cross, we want to go first and make them wait on us. We think the heaviest of confrontations should take another route. We even think if we do some re-routing that all will be well--till we get flying along with our own destination in mind and "crest a hill". Suddenly, without warning, we're met with a stop sign. We take for granted the road we choose will be a friendly one--without confrontation. That thinking is as dangerous as believing we can continue to cross a bridge without stopping to repair the wear and tear upon it.
As Christians, God gave us a Message--Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. He gave us the ultimate Bridge Who stands at the gap between man's sin and Himself. He is perfect in construction. His foundation is certain. He is able to meet time's wear and tear of ridicule, rejection and man's weight of apathy. He is able to make right any path one chooses to take to temporarily avoid the crossing. The stop signs of life will meet us when we least expect them. With the Holy Spirit of God, our brakes are secure. With our faith in Jesus, we always find our way.
We may be the bridge for another to find their way. When their paths cross ours, will it hold the weight of criticism and opposition so many carry in their trunks? Will our knowledge of Truth be sound? Or will folks find our bridge is out and turn away in search of another route? selahV
[© SelahV Today,hariette petersen, 2008]
