In high school, I had the privilege of going to Guatemala twice for mission trips. Changed my life. On our ‘fun afternoon’ (is it really a mission trip if you don’t have a fun day? Kidding) my team and I zip-lined around Guatemala. We saw mountains, bodies of water, endless amounts of trees and beauty as we sailed through the air. However, to get to the point of seeing stunning scenery, we had to cross a rickety bridge. At first, I questioned how sturdy the bridge was, but knew we had to cross it to get to the highest peak. We trusted our tour guides to lead us the right way and we crossed. The view was totally worth walking across the bridge. Halfway across I knew the bridge would hold us and I started to see the best view ever. I tell this story to say: sometimes bridges (pathways, situations, circumstances) in life may seem unstable, unwanted, and like God isn’t there. Just like my team and I did with our tour guides, we have to trust God to lead us across some questionable bridges to get to the major blessings He has for us.
On some bridges comes the questions of why should we trust God in the first place? If God is good, why would He allow Corona to happen or _____? How will this bridge benefit me? What if this bridge burns and crumbles beneath my feet? Not going to lie, some of these questions have gone through my head in this time of quarantine. It’s hard to see lots of good through this situation or in any bad circumstance. But good happens even in the midst of darkness. When thinking and reading about these questions, I remember we can and should trust God. He gave His only son to die for you and me. If that doesn’t deserve all of our trust, I don’t know what will. As author Ann Voskamp shares, “if trust must be earned, hasn’t God unequivocally earned our trust with the bark on the raw wounds, the thorns pressed into the brow, and your name on the cracked lips” (One Thousand Gifts)? God didn’t have to send Jesus and Jesus didn’t have to die. They did these things because they wanted to for us. Now that’s real love worth our trust.
Yes, being stuck at home is not my preference. Yes, experiencing death of loved ones was a bridge I didn’t want to walk across. Even good bridges can still seem unstable. I was beyond excited for my mission trips to Guatemala but also terrified of the unknowns. I was ready for college and knew I chose the right school, but worried because I didn’t know a single soul. Even on the sturdiest bridges, we tend to find sections where we can doubt instead of filling it with trust and expectation. I’ve come to notice God shows up the most when we genuinely trust Him the most.
For example, when Jesus was walking on water in Matthew 14:22-33, Peter trusted Jesus and kept his focus on Him. Therefore, Peter was able to walk on the water too. When Peter looked away from Jesus, he started to sink. No matter what ‘bridge’ we are on, when our focus if off Jesus, getting across gets more complicated and fearful. However, there is more to the story. Jesus saves Peter from the water. Peter shifted his attention off Jesus and Jesus still saved Peter. The water tried to take Peter out, but Jesus could walk on it. Jesus can walk on top of anything trying to take us out. Even if the bridge seems unstable to us, water and hard situations still flow beneath the bridge. When we only focus on the bridge itself or the situation surrounding the bridge, it’s hard to see the scenery and keep our attention on Jesus.
After Peter is safe, Jesus asked him why he doubted. I feel like Jesus asks us this question a lot. Jesus wants us to walk with Him. Sometimes it may be in the middle of a storm, but we’re still on a bridge. The bridge may seen unstable, but why doubt when we have Jesus? Just like the bridge in Guatemala, the best views come from traveling all the way across the bridge and trusting Him along the way.
The Joyful Journey 