VOICE OF TRUTH FOR TODAY
Bridge Builder
My husband and I had just finished walking along the beautiful white sand in Orange Beach, Alabama, when I turned around for one last look. The sunset was glowing around a bridge with a half-moon hanging above it, and I knew I had to stop and “take the shot.”
Looking at that bridge reminded me that sometimes in life, we need to stop, turn around, and take the opportunity to build a bridge rather than walk away.
Bridge builders create relationships across lines of conflict. They improve communication, rebuild trust, and choose connection when division would be easier. Jesus was—and is—the ultimate Bridge Builder, and He calls us to follow His example.
I saw this firsthand after a conversation about baptism at church. One woman disagreed with something our group said and decided not to return. Someone reached out to her, however, and eventually she came back. I invited her to a Women World Leaders event, and God began revealing things within her heart regarding a previous baptism experience.
Eventually, she chose to be baptized and shared her story. Today, she serves on the baptism team! She and I have even traveled to Israel together and become dear friends.
What if everyone had simply allowed disagreement to become division?
Our culture makes it easy to cancel people, delete them, and walk away when relationships become uncomfortable. But God calls us to something better.
In John 8, Jesus built a bridge of compassion and mercy toward the woman caught in adultery. Throughout Scripture, we see people like Barnabas choosing encouragement, reconciliation, and relationship.
Building bridges requires humility. It means allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us before demanding that He change someone else.
So when conflict comes, perhaps instead of walking away, stop. Turn around. Ask Jesus whether there’s a bridge He wants you to build. Jesus makes a way.
He is the bridge.
And when we align our hearts with His, love wins.
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Excerpt from Voice of Truth Magazine
“Following the Son” by Michele Hicks Hughes