Devotion 385 - On the Bridge

We are crossing a bridge.  It is the bridge I dreamt about before we traveled to China for our daughter.  When I had faith, I could walk across that bridge.  When I didn’t the bridge collapsed and there was no climbing back on.  

I would be swept away by the waves of doubt, and drown in the squalls of self sufficiency making it impossible to climb back to what I knew to be true…  God is sufficient.  I am not.

And now, we are crossing yet another bridge.  One of my eldest is somewhere between the land of dependence and the far away foreign land of independence.  He sits down and seeks my counsel.

This is a good bridge moment.  We are both on solid footing.  Only the thing he is asking about I am not particularly fond of.  It is not illegal.  It is not wrong.  It costs a bit of money and will continue to cost as he puts gas in it.  I do not want this responsibility nor do I want him to have it.

Thus I say no.  But then I remember, we are on a bridge.  It is not my approval he is seeking but my counsel.  I give him my 22 cents of thoughts and then tell him to clean his room. 

That is what I know to do, but then I realize I am closer to the shores of dependence and he is much farther along his way over the bridge.  And it hurts.

I realize I cannot make mistakes for him, nor can I withhold the mistakes he will make.  And it hurts.

It hurts that I read the newspaper and know we are hurting as a nation.  We are on a bridge away from the land of what we have known; the Gospel and we are heading to a land with no rules.

We have forgotten where to go when evil comes.  We have forgotten that the only true response to evil is reconciliation, only we have forgotten to whom we reconcile.  We run to another hoping our culture, one that has fractured to the point of breaking, holds the answers.

I am convinced the only possible reason for evil of this magnitude is to get us to stop looking around for answers and begin to look up.  We can discuss with our neighbor and those in our circumference who choose to live differently than us.  We can applaud them or we can ignore them, yet nothing is solved because we are talking to the wrong people.  We are reconciling to the wrong thing.  We are seeking answers where there are only questions.  We are crossing a bridge

 

Like the bridge I dreamt about; it is not sustainable without faith.  We are negotiating across a place the Bible describes.  Things are going to get worse.  It has only begun.

The value of human life from embryonic to advanced has grown insignificant.  We shoot, we kill and we look away hoping we can return to the safe shore for a few more weeks or months.  But we are bridge dwellers and what holds up our bridge, what makes it strong or weak is the abundance or the lack of faith.

We must remember we are not in charge.  We must hold up our hands not in disgust but in surrender.  We must realize it is He who brings glory out of ashes.  Glory.  The reflection of Him in what we do.

 

So what is it we do?

Do we point ?  Do we blame?  Do we pass laws and build walls?

Or do we pray?

Do we extend a hand?

Do we realize we are all His creation?  All made by His hand.  All loved and cherished and treasured.

Do we realize this is a pinnacle moment of telling others about the bridge?  It is Hard.  It is confusing.

But there is One that has laid it all out.  Who has foretold every last detail.  Who knows the end from the beginning and is willing to come along side in the journey.

He is asking us to love and to shine a light on faith because many simply won’t know until we shine a light on what it is we know.

Love well…

Speak peace and treasure the ones we understand and particularly the ones we do not.

Reconcile to our heavenly Father and reflect His glory.  Don’t begin with talk about Him dear one, just do and love and extend a hand while you navigate the bridge.

Your story, His story can be told best without any words.

 

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Corinthian 7:14