There once was a
remote bridge that spanned a wide river.
During most of the day the bridge sat with its length running parallel
to the river banks, allowing ships to pass through freely on both sides. But at
certain times every day, a train would come along and the bridge would turn
sideways across the river, allowing the train to cross safely.
A switchman sat in a
small shack on one side of the river, diligently operating the controls to turn
the bridge and lock it in place whenever a train needed to cross. One evening, as the switchman was waiting for
the last train of the day, he peered through the dim twilight and caught sight
of the approaching train lights. He
stepped to the controls and waited until the train was within the prescribed
distance to turn the bridge. To his
horror, as he tried to turn the bridge into position, he discovered that the
electronic locking control would not work. If the bridge was not securely positioned, it
would wobble back and forth, causing the train to jump its track and go
crashing into the river.
The switchman’s mind
raced as he pictured the large number of people that would be aboard the speeding
passenger train. So he hurried across
the bridge to the other side of the river where there was a manual lever switch
he could use to lock the bridge in place. It would be necessary for the switchman to
hold the lever firmly while the train crossed. Now he could hear the rumble of the train, so
he took hold of the lever, leaning backwards to fully apply his weight to it
and lock the bridge. He kept applying
pressure to keep the mechanism locked in place. Many lives depended on one man’s strength.
Just then, coming
toward him across the bridge from the direction of his control shack, he heard
a sound that made his blood run cold. “Daddy,
where are you?” His four-year-old son
was crossing the bridge to look for his father. His first impulse was to cry out to his child,
“Run! Run!” But the train was much too
close and his son’s tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. The switchman almost left his lever to run and
snatch up his son and carry him to safety. But he realized he could not get back to the
lever in time. Either the people on the
train would die, or his beloved son must die. He agonized for seconds – which seemed like
minutes – over such an awesome decision.
The train sped safely
and swiftly on its way, and no one aboard was ever aware of the tiny broken
body that had been thrown mercilessly into the river by the onrushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of
the sobbing switchman, clinging tightly to the locking lever long after the
train had safely passed. They did not
see him walking home, more slowly than he had ever walked, to tell his wife
about their son’s brutal and tragic death.
If we could somehow
begin to comprehend the overwhelming emotions in the switchman’s heart, we
would gain a tiny inkling of understanding of the feelings of our HEAVENLY
FATHER when He sacrificed HIS SON (and how THE SON felt when He sacrificed HIS
LIFE) to literally BRIDGE THE GAP between each one of us and eternal life. Can there be any wonder that The Father caused
the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when His Son died in our place? And here is the ultimate question for us to
ponder: How would THE FATHER feel if we speed along through life without giving
a second thought to what was accomplished so sacrificially for us through HIS
ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS CHRIST?
Sisters and brothers,
be continually blessed and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO
MEET YOUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!
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