Crossing the Bridge of Hope
“And we’re now crossing the bridge to another borough,” my friend driving the car said.
In New York, the five boroughs are divided by bridges. I am blind but I took in all details she described during my visit. “Each time I travel to New York, I learn all kinds of new things,” I said.
On and on we traveled through the big city, crossing streets, bridges, and noting points of interest. Each turn revealed residential neighborhoods and older industrial ones. Finally, we took the bridge heading to the action-packed part of the City that never sleeps.
Life is filled with difficult times.
How similar these bridges of New York are to life’s own bridges. Both serve as passages transitioning the traveler from one point to another.
You might be at such a transition now—changing from employment to unemployment, from health to a troubling diagnosis, from abundance to scarcity, from the security of a solid relationship to loneliness.
Struggling toward year’s end, many will try to cross their personal bridge…a bridge of hope to carry them from the darkness of sorrow in this year to a glimpse of joy in the next.
But no matter which stage we’re in or which bridge we’re attempting to cross, each one provides the opportunity for us to trust or crumble. To move forward or retreat. To walk with confidence or shaky feet.
Moving from misery to joy is a choice.
And that’s when God’s Word makes the choice easier. We can choose to rely on His promise of reassurance:
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you; surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 1
As you transition through the uncertainties of life, will you cling to misery or count on His righteous right hand to hold you? Will you listen as He directs you? Will you follow Him across the bridge of hope to the other side?
Seeing the best of Life,
Janet
Though blind, Janet Perez Eckles continues to inspire thousands to see the best in life. She is an international speaker, writer, and #1 bestselling author of Simply Salsa: Dancing without Fear at God’s Fiesta. Her passion is to point others to Christ so they can walk in His light of victory. Check out her blogs at www.janetperezeckles.com.
The original of this Note was first published on December 7, 2015.
Footnotes: (1) Read Isaiah 41:10.
Pictures: Banner Photo: Williamsburg Bridge by Jorge Quinteros. 1st Photo: Brooklyn Bridge over the East River, dreamtimes.com. 2nd Photo: Hussaini Hanging Bridge, Getty Images. 3rd Photo: The Bay Bridge by Chuck Graham.