As we go through life, we sometimes get our feelings hurt or say something that ends up hurting someone else’s, and all too often just a little foolish pride prevents either party from saying “I was wrong” or ”I’m sorry” – and before we know it another “bridge” has gone up in flames. There is an old saying that goes something like “Be careful which bridges you burn because you never know when you’ll need to cross over them”. Well, I have burned my share of bridges over the years, a few of which I have longed to cross once again on many occasions. But there are some bridges that simply cannot be burned…
There was a time when “I knew it all” and I thought my dad was a pretty dumb fellow, leading me to say and do some things that should have burned our bridge until there was nothing left but a smoldering heap of ashes. But little did I know that he was actually a pretty smart guy - and I wasn’t quite the genius I thought I was!
Dad had “been there and done that” himself when he was younger so he knew what was going on, and he simply refused to allow our bridge to catch on fire. Every time I messed up, he would be standing there, fire extinguisher in hand, ready and willing to do whatever it took to knock down the flames and help me out of yet another jam. He wasn’t perfect and he had his share of faults just like the rest of us, but he loved his children as much as any man could and he was bound and determined that there would be no bridges burned between himself and any of his “kids” - and to the best of my knowledge there never were.
There is another bridge that can never be burned as well: the one that Jesus Christ our Saviour built when He laid down His life and shed His precious blood for us on the cross at Calvary over 2,000 years ago. That magnificent bridge allows us to cross over from certain death to eternal life, and the only ”fare” we have to pay to use it is to acknowledge the fact that we’re sinners and accept Jesus as our personal Saviour.
Christ not only built the bridge to heaven, He also paid the fare with His own blood – and He happily hands over a one-way ticket to anyone and everyone who is willing to accept it. And the best part of all is that beautiful bridge can never be burned! Once a person is saved, he/she is saved forever.
All the fire in hell is incapable of causing even one fiber of the salvation bridge to be destroyed. When the Lord calls His children home, one by one they find that magnificent bridge standing tall, waiting for us to cross over to the other side and begin life anew in a place where pain and sorrow simply do not exist. And when it comes time for me to make that wonderful journey myself, I believe I’ll find my dad standing on the other side, arms open wide, ready to welcome me into the presence of our loving and holy God.