Build a bridge!

“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?
Luke 14:28 NLT

Work has recently commenced on the construction of a new highway overpass bridge in our local community, just down the road from our family home. It is expected that once completed, this new 90 metre-long bridge will greatly improve safety and access for cyclists, pedestrians and users of a popular regional trail. It’s a good and timely initiative…

Bridges – what’s their purpose; why do they exist??

I see bridges being primarily about improving our connectedness – bridges usually remove the dangers associated with an existing obstacle (railway line, highway or river) and they can also reduce the time and distance that is required to travel between two points of reference, making for a better journey.

I think that the image of a bridge can also be useful when considering our connectedness with people.

I’ve been thinking lately about how this can apply with the one-another passages in God’s Word, especially concerning Jesus’ call for God’s people to love one-another.

I believe God is looking for more of His people to be bridge-builders – that we would be people who will take the initiative and weigh up the costs and do what it takes to build relational connectedness across the various obstacles that can often prevent authentic relationships from flourishing.

I also wonder what new bridges God might be calling our local churches and youth ministries to invest in building, to connect His amazing love and good news to a lost and hurting world. I expect that for some it will require enough conviction and foresight to look beyond their local context, to see something constructed that can span the gaps of culture to reach those who have yet to hear God's story or meet Jesus for themselves.

Bridge-building is surely a work-in-progress (I can easily see this by observing the current project near our home). It takes time to build a bridge; it takes some resources and planning to build a bridge; it takes initiative and hard work to build a bridge…but the end result will be worth it - overcoming obstacles...towards improved accessibility and greater connectedness.

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34