PHOTO BY BRAD CAMPBELL A bridge in the mountains of Virginia

Hi, all! 

Life’s highways are full of twists, turns, straight-a-ways, and bridges. Some of those bridges are quite short and hardly noticeable. And then there are those bridges, such as ones in southern Louisiana, that are several miles long. This particular bridge you see here is located in the mountains of Virginia. What you cannot see is the river that is way down in the bottom of that ravine.

Signage posted in a park near one end of the bridge tells that a Washington Monument and two Statues of Liberty stacked together could fit underneath that bridge, with an extra twenty feet to spare. For the curious mind, that’s nearly four football fields end to end. Driving across the bridge with a river that far below was indeed an experience to remember. That’s why we took advantage of the little park with its hiking trail to get this view of the bridge.

The vast majority of these “thoughts” through the years have been about our week ahead, what we’re facing, the things we might experience, and all the good, bad, and indifferent that come along. But, I think we might not appreciate what’s ahead of us sometimes if we don’t take a moment to look behind us.  Sometimes we need to stop, take a moment, and focus on the bridge(s) we’ve just crossed.

As we travel across any given bridge, we don’t always concentrate on the strength of it. We don’t necessarily think about its purpose — to get us safely from one side to the other. We don’t always focus on the structure of the bridge itself. But looking back at the massiveness of it, one can’t help but marvel at the ingenuity it took to create such a thing. There’s the wonder of how the bridge connected the great divide that we never could have crossed on our own had the bridge not been there. And there’s the great distance between us on the bridge and the rapids of the roaring river below.

The bridge has carried us, even without our acknowledgment, across, through, and beyond what could have been some great difficulties of life.  

As you look back at last week, or the one before, or the one before that, think of the bridges you crossed in order to be where you are today. And then think of the bridges’ Creator, His ingenuity that kept you, cared for you, and carried you across a great and massive divide — the distance between being on one side trying to do life on your own and being on the other side with Him. Stop, reflect on life’s bridges, the troubled waters over which they have passed, and the One Who brought you safely across. For you could not face the bridges ahead without acknowledging the ones you’ve left behind.

Just a thought. ’Til later.

Brad Campbell can be reached at mastah.pastah@yahoo.com.