"Bridges Mean Bumps"

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”  2 Corinthians 4:8-10

Behind our house is a wetland nature “reserve.”  Through this reserve runs a walkway which is part of Mecklenburg County’s Greenway System.  The majority of the greenway is paved, but multiple areas along the path require a boardwalk to traverse the wetland underneath.

During his life, Emily and I would love to walk along the greenway with Gabriel in his wheelchair or “Special Tomato” stroller.  Each time we would come to one of the boardwalks, Emily would say, “Here comes the bridge.  Bridges mean bumps!”  She was referring to the reoccurring “bounce” Gabriel would experience each time his wheels would encounter the small spaces between the boards which make up the boardwalk.

How the Lord responds to difficulties in the lives of His people is similar to these board walks.  We all experience low points in our lives.  And each of us experience God’s divine power to make it through these difficulties.  But we are allowed to feel the “bouncing” as we are carried, that we might become stronger and learn from the crisis.

Emily and I agree that Gabriel is with the Lord.  We rejoice in this truth.  We also feel the Lord’s comfort and compassion in the aftermath of Gabriel’s home-going.  But, and this is very important, we have not be spared the grief which comes from watching one we love so dearly pass through the veil of death.

Why is this?  I asked this question often in the days and weeks after Gabriel’s passing.  The answer is because there are lessons the Lord would have us learn.  And as Jesus answered His disciples in John 9:2, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

God wants to use the trials in our lives to strengthen our faith, to teach us His divine truths, and to demonstrate His glory in our lives throughout the difficulty.  Will He help us through the hardship?  Absolutely!  But we will still experience some of the “wake” which comes during and perhaps after the trouble.

So the next time we experience some of the bumps of life, let our pray not be “take this cup from me.”  But rather let’s pray that we will learn the lesson the Lord desires for us, and most importantly that the Lord will be glorified through the hardship.

So, “here comes the bridge.  Bridges mean bumps!”

Glen