Choosing Positive Change

Every person at some point in life’s journey needs to be liberated. That’s why Jesus came into the world. Gloria Steinem, a prominent leader of the women’s liberation movement, decided to get married after years of struggle and isolation. It’s interesting how concepts about bondage and liberation change with the passage of time.

    

Courage in the face of obvious change helps diminish outdated opinions and paradigms while opening gateways to freedom and a new life. Lack of courage is essentially linked to insecurity, embarrassment and shame. Courage, however, is a bridge to liberation, a more fulfilled life and open doors for new beginnings.

Liberation may come in the form of renouncing a lifestyle that predisposes you to bondage. Jesus said, “Man cannot serve God and money,” and “You must be in the world but not of the world.” Liberation comes by activating courage to commit your life to what you know to be God’s way for you. It’s the bridge to inner peace.  

A Bridge to Freedom

In the early years of our country, one means of paying passage from England was to agree to bond yourself to an American landowner for seven years. Some agreed to work another seven years for their family’s passage. They agreed to this servant-hood, for it was their bridge to a new beginning and eventual freedom.

How seriously do you take your freedom? Most of us rarely give it consideration until some form of bondage becomes a threat. A man told how his father has been addicted to street drugs for forty years. Imagine growing up in this environment and how it created an emotional bondage or imagery that does not fade with time.

Yet there is deliverance from any form of bondage. Surrendering your life to Christ is that bridge to freedom. The Apostle Paul counted it an honor to be a slave or bonded to Christ, for this was his bridge to deliverance. Would you agree to be bonded to Christ Jesus? He gives courage and deliverance to anyone willing to take that step. 

A Debt of Liberty

Before the American Revolutionary War began, American patriot Patrick Henry in 1775 challenged the colonists to take up arms and fight the British with these words: “I know not what course other men may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” Patrick Henry knew that courage and action were the bridge to liberty.

          You and I may be forced to fight tyranny perpetrated by others in some way, but our freedom can be diminished by selfish indebtedness. Listen to God’s word from Romans 13:8 speak out against all forms of indebtedness except one. “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.”

          Isn’t it interesting how one form of debt, “to love one another”, is the bridge to liberty? God’s Word continues, “for he who loves his fellowman fulfills the law.” In our society it is almost impossible to remain free of debt. It takes courage to stand against senseless indebtedness, but it’s the road to freedom.  

Rescued to Rescue

To be liberated means freedom from bondage. Nelson Mandela, the South African statesman, knew what it meant to be liberated. He spent twenty-five years in prison on charges that were political. I’m sure there were days when discouragement ruled, but deep within himself resided hope which served as a bridge to keep despair at bay. 

Bondage can originate from a crippling disease, financial obligations, lack of employment or an oppressive relationship. Liberation is the bridge that crosses the expanse of bondage, from whatever its source.

Listen to Dag Hammarskjold, former Secretary General of the United Nations, as he stated clearly what we can do for others and ourselves: “The price you must pay for your own liberation through another’s sacrifice is that you, in turn, must be willing to liberate in the same way, irrespective of the consequence to yourself.” What a challenge! We gladly accept what Christ did to liberate us, but we must be willing to offer that bridge to others so they can come across. 

A Name You Can Trust

One contribution the Roman Empire made to the Gospel of Jesus Christ was the construction of great bridges and roads. Today bridges are unnoticeable unless they’re spectacular in design. However, bridges convey a sense of belonging, as they fulfill an important need for confidence in something that’s dependable.  

          What have you placed your confidence in that assures you the world is dependable and safe? Psalm 20 gives this assurance. “Now I know the Lord saves his anointed; he answers from heaven with the saving power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord God.” 

Chariots and horses, however, can represent whatever our ingenuity can contrive. Confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ was the bridge that helped the Apostle Paul to endure hardships and troubles and stay focused on the central objective of his ministry. That confidence is available to whomever believes and commits his or her life to that bridge of faith.  

Sure Footing

Travelers apparently have a quiet, unspoken confidence in bridges. As a teenager I lived near the Trinity River up in North Texas. Hidden away on an obscure country road was an old steel bridge that was closed for public use. It was scary to walk across the rotting, wooden plank floor, yet for a couple of teenage boys, confidence was not lacking in their skill to cross the bridge.

Confidence serves as a bridge to push us forward but also to urge us to retreat when necessary. We put our confidence in things and other people until that confidence is betrayed. Then we pull back across the bridge. Our faith and beliefs serve as a means of expressing our confidence.

However, God’s word advises us to be careful and wise in whom we place our confidence. Psalm 118 assures us God’s steadfast love endures forever and serves as a bridge to confidence and assurance from which you will never have to retreat, for he is always present to help you.  

Confidence for Tomorrow

Bridges through the ages were conceived and constructed to be liberators. In fact, they made travel possible across a terrain that could otherwise be impassable. Affectionate names for bridges reflect their architecture, location and purpose. Engineers and architects must have confidence in their ideas and construction techniques!

Confidence itself is a bridge, for without it, moving forward would be difficult if not impossible. Think of confidence this way: “To be an achiever, you have to be a believer.” Faith and confidence parallel each other. As an engineer has faith in his product, faith in God precedes genuine faith in oneself.

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ gives us the courage to face any obstacle with confidence and look toward the future with expectancy. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” demonstrates the Apostle Paul’s faith. Whatever you’re facing at this moment, go forward with faith and expectancy, for Christ Jesus is with you. 

Belief for a Breakthrough

Many children are diagnosed today with attention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity. The word hyperactivity indicates the absences of calmness, so medication and other therapies may serve as a bridge to help these children at school and with social activities as well as to help with acceptance by peers and adults.

 

Remember the story of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ outer garment and was healed? Her determination served as a bridge to health that no doctor of her day could provide. You know what caught my interest in this story? The moment she touched the hem of his garment, Jesus sensed a source of power had gone out from him to someone who needed help.

That woman’s faith was the bridge that brought the healing power of Christ into her body. Can you imagine the calmness and peace she would feel the rest her entire life? Knowing that God cares enough to hear your pleas and answer your prayers is a bridge to calmness and peace. May these attributes of faith be yours. 

Transported through Trouble

Many people today live on the edge of emotional control. Is stress more prevalent in our time than ever before? Someone told me she got up an hour before anyone else to enjoy the peace and quiet, even though this deprived her of sleep. Sometimes calmness is a bridge to emotional sanity.

A song by Simon and Garfunkel was entitled “A Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Life is full of trouble, so we need friends, family and sometimes professional help to get across a bridge spanning troubled water. Calmness soothes the heart, so we need someone with a soft voice to speak with kindness and assurance.

I love Psalm 46:10, where God tells me to “be still and know that I am the Lord.” This will help you to settle down, relax a bit so you can believe and let God calm your troubled heart. No matter where you are or what you are facing at this very moment, you can be still and know God will transport you over your bridge of troubled water.  

A Bridge to Belonging

I’ve often wondered who was the first human to come up with the concept of building a bridge. Maybe that person got the idea from some acts of nature. Perhaps a tree had fallen across a stream making a natural bridge to the other side. Imagine using a rope bridge stretched across a great expanse of a mountain gorge as a means of travel.

 

Bridges have transformed cultures and landscapes. The Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge are two examples. It would be difficult to imagine what the scenery was like before they were constructed. Equally hard to compute is the impact these bridges have had on our society and the tourists who bask in their beauty.

Take a moment to consider how bridges are transformers. There are emotional and spiritual bridges that transform you from one perception of yourself to another. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is a bridge designed to transport you from alienation to friendship with God. Faith in Christ is a bridge to newness of life and a godly purpose for living. 

Strength to Endure

When the great railroad that connected California with the East Coast was completed in 1869, one of the most fascinating accomplishments was the building of some enormous bridges across major canyons. They were constructed of timbers reaching unusual heights. It’s hard to believe they could withstand the weight of the trains.

In similar ways, bridges we construct in our personal lives seem just as enormous. I read an article that addressed the physical exhaustion so many people experience these days. One mother who had a disabled child plus two other children, a job, and a husband could not adequately describe the fatigue and stress she had to endure.

Emotional and physical survival often depends on a spiritual bridge of faith. For this young mother, her faith in God made it possible for her tolerate and endure her commitments. Her attitude of faith gave her strength and courage to press on for what God had called her to do. Love for her family and God was her bridge to survival.  

Ready to Thrive

As a young boy I loved playing under a sycamore tree with my truck and tractor toys. My yard served as a playground with very little grass, which was the norm where I grew up. Constructing “play like” roads and bridges was my favorite amusement. I never imagined that as an adult I would help others build relationship bridges.    

In a literal sense, bridges provide a passageway from one point to another. When rain came down fast and furious creating a flood, the bridge on our country road would break loose and be washed away by the power of rushing water. Conflict and troubles have the power to break down the ties that bind people to one another.

Bridges of communication can cease to exist between people in conflict who love and care for each other. But like the bridge that washed away, bridges of communication can be restored where there is the will and desire to do so. The presence of God creates opportunities not only to survive but to thrive in the presence of troubles.