A friend of mine once told me about what he called was a “big dream.” By that, he meant the kind of dream that would linger in your thoughts even after you had gotten out of bed. Oftentimes, this dream would shape the way you view life and the future.
My friend described his dream this way: “I was standing on the edge of a wide and fast-flowing river, and knew I had to cross it. To one side of me there was a huge and elaborate bridge — very much akin to the London Bridge — but, deep down inside, I was reluctant to cross that bridge. So I started to swim. It was a great struggle. The water was cold and the currents were strong. I made it almost to the other side and glanced sideways just before reaching the other shore. Then, I saw that the big, imposing bridge had collapsed. I swam the last few yards to safety and was immensely relieved that I had heeded the warning to avoid that particular bridge.”
When we are facing transitions, we may well find big and obvious bridges that seem to offer an easy and safe route across the troubled waters. One of these is the “bridge of money.” If we have access to that bridge, then we can walk across the water and avoid what appears to be a lot of inconvenience. We can stay high and dry, and even look down on those who are struggling to swim the rapids beneath us. It may get us to the other side of the difficulty. Or, it may collapse halfway. The bridge of money often turns out to be only half built. It will get us only so far without challenging our imagination or creativity. But, then it might simply end and leave us suspended in midair with no other way to proceed.
Imagine, for example, an elderly woman who has always enjoyed the luxury of a big house and has never had to do much for herself. Because she is now practically on her own, she can no longer afford to keep the house and decides to move into a smaller retirement apartment. The proceeds from the sale of the house will, she believes, set her up comfortably in a new apartment, and she makes her decision on this basis.
And, then, the housing market collapses. She has signed a purchase agreement for her new apartment and then finds she cannot sell her old house. The bridge of money that was going to lead her safely and swiftly across the river of change or the next stage of her life has collapsed and she is down to the water, unable to swim, because she never thought she would need to learn how to swim.
Jesus warns us to make certain that the bridge is fully built before we try to cross it. Jesus tells in Luke 14: 28-33 the cautionary tale of the person planning to build a tower for a dream house or an ambitious project who failed to work out how much the enterprise was going to cost before he got going on it. We can see the results of such failure of foresight in our own towns and cities today, and even in our own failed projects. We are warned by Jesus about the cost of discipleship. If you really want to go the distance, into the unknown of change and transformation, you are going to have to learn to let go of what you are hanging on to in your present comfort zone.
In this season of Lent, let our minds and hearts be cleansed so that in so doing, we continue to consciously fulfill our mission of being a blessing to others and, at the same time, be blessed too. Have a blessed and meaningful Resurrection Sunday! – NWI
