The Privileged Life: Beautiful Bridges Built to Last

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (John 14:6)

Some bridges are so lovely, they could be considered works of art—especially among ancient Roman viaducts and bridges still standing. 

I’ve walked on several of those stone structures, marveling at the ingenuity of early architects. When those old Romans built roads and bridges, they were intent on spreading their empire and its power, which meant making things to last. Their two-thousand-year-old techniques are still employed by infrastructure designers today.

Bridge-building has a distinct purpose—to connect people across a barrier, allowing them to move freely from one side to another. It usually requires a lot of time, preparation, effort, and sacrifice. Constructing and renovating bridges is costly.

The same holds true with relationships.

Yesterday, I attended a significant funeral, for an amazing lady who helped start our church 41 years ago. We had a celebration of life service for her. It was difficult, though, to celebrate the loss of a vibrant member of our church family, someone who was admired and loved by so many. 

Suzy Williams was a unique, dynamic combination of visionary and executor—she had wonderful ideas and she was fantastic at getting others on board with her dreams.

She genuinely loved other people, especially children, and sought constantly to encourage them in their own life journeys. As family members spoke in remembrance of her, they told about the driving force behind Suzy’s legacy of accomplishments: her deep faith in Jesus Christ and her desire to serve Him.

The Lord gave her many gifts, and one of her strongest was hospitality. Suzy was a consummate hostess who could warmly entertain a hundred people in her home with a bountiful spread of food…all without batting an eye. She could also create a unique vacation Bible school program out of thin air—like the almost life-size model of the tabernacle in our church basement—then get teams of folks to construct it. Another VBS brainchild was a drydocked boat she commandeered and transformed into a trailer ride pulled by a tractor around our church parking lot. It was a smashing hit with the kids for years. 

At her heart, Suzy was a bridge builder. An active member of local politics, she served our community as a county commissioner and supported others who entered government work. In the process, she often reached out over party lines to get things done. I can’t imagine anyone ever turning Suzy down from her requests—she had already built bridges through her caring concern for people around her and their children. She was always graciously interested in my children as well, often praying for them.

Friends, we ought to follow Suzy’s example and legacy. Establishing solid relationships takes a lifetime of work, yet starting today we can still make a difference for Jesus Christ and His kingdom work.

It’s so easy to burn bridges in a heartbeat. Many are hard to rebuild. If you have friendships or family relations where things have been strained, think about ways you could reach out in Jesus’ love to them—whether your overtures are accepted or not. This is where “turning the other cheek” needs to be employed (see Matthew 5:38-48). You might not receive the response you wish, but you will certainly be rewarded by your Lord for following His example. 

Not only is Jesus the consummate bridge-builder, He is the Bridge—between us and others in sharing our faith in Him. More importantly, He is the only Bridge between us and God, to close the gap that our sin created in our relationship with Him. He is our source of strength, an everlasting rock-solid conduit of love to guide and direct our steps to connect with others and with God our Father. He is the Architect of a grace that extends across any barrier.

Want to build beauty that lasts? Start with His love, as Suzy did. Share it with those on the other side of the great divide, and lean on Him when the going gets tough. Let your life reflect His bridge-building—you’ll find it in every story about Him in Scripture. He’ll pave the way for you. 

Jesus Christ, my Rock and Redeemer, please help me in my fledgling attempts to cross the barriers that get in the way of lasting relationships. Give me Your grace to share with others so that they will want to meet You and find out more about Your love for them. Let me be a conduit for You so that the world may see Your beautiful presence in my life. In Your name I pray, Amen. 

Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her weekly blogs are featured on Crossmap.com. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at http://lightbournecreative.com and subscribe at the bottom. 

© Copyright 2024 Nancy C. Williams, Lightbourne Creative (text and photography) Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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