The appointment I had with the doctor was on Tuesday at 4:30 in the afternoon. I left my office at 3:30 and took Highway 36 west bound to 35W. Continuing south on 35W my car lazily meandered through the curves that mirror the Mississippi River's path and gradually went up the grade which is the bridge that crosses the river, just a tad south and east of the Metrodome. I looked out the window of my car to the right and I could see where the Twins play baseball in the summer, the lock on the river that gracefully raises and lowers boats, and the Stone Arch Bridge. That bridge is most beautiful from an architectural perspective. I am so glad that it was saved and rebuilt. Beautiful things are important. The river is low due to the hot and dry summer we are having. There was a fine dust in the air created by heavy construction machines, which were grinding away the top two or three inches of old concrete on the bridge deck, readying it for a fresh surface. Those international orange traffic cones seem to be everywhere. Some jack hammers were running. I could hear their thudding over the music I was playing on my radio. Traffic was moving along well, though only the two most outside lanes were open. They had been completely resurfaced and the construction crew had moved their heavy equipment to the middle lanes of the bridge. If I hadn't looked to the right I would not have known that I was on a bridge almost 70 feet above our nation's most written about river. I was heading towards the I-94 west exit which would take me around the southern perimeter of downtown Minneapolis, up the west bound entrance of 394 to Highway 55 and my appointment. I made the trip uninterrupted in a most uneventful way. The cabin of my car was cool as my air conditioning was functioning well despite the heat. If not for the events of the next day I would not even remember that I had made that journey. It was so routine. It was so much a normal part of my life. I have made that journey for one reason or another a thousand times in the past fourteen years. No big deal.
It became a big deal on Wednesday August 1, 2007, the "Next" day after my crossing. For some, unknown as yet reason, the bridge came "...falling down." On the deck were dozens of cars, trucks, and at least one school bus. The dust that rose was not from the machinery this time, rather it was from the crumbling of the concrete deck which turned to powder in some areas. The dust soon became augmented by black, petroleum based smoke as the fuel tanks of some cars and trucks ignited and the interiors of the vehicles melted and then flashed into open flames. Most walked away or were quickly carried away by volunteers and first responders who were randomly passing by or immediately called to the scene. Some were seriously injured and taken to the county hospital near by. Some laid pinned and or unconscious drowning as their vehicles filled with muddy Mississippi River water. There was no sound on the television screen as I watched this horrible event's aftermath, only silence, images, and my thoughts of the day before. Timing, in some very real sense...it is everything. Why them, why not me?
Being a fairly sober person I can not say that this event has cause me to have what is referred to as a sobering moment, nor was it a sobering experience for me. It has caused me to be even more reflective than I normally am. It causes me to think about my fragility from a physical perspective. It makes me think of how the things we humans build are seemingly awe inspiring, immovable, giant, forever. But they only seem that way. There are forces at play that are so, so much greater no matter how big and strong we make things. It causes me think about how life goes on as I went to work this morning, uninterrupted, even while there were bodies still not recovered, and families desperate for information about a missing loved one. The radio played the same music, people made jokes, the sun still rose, money still has to be made, earned, and spent. Groundhog Day. The bridge came to an end yesterday...lives passed into eternity along with it. A bridge will be built in its place, stronger, more spectacular, safer, more enduring. It too, someday, will come down. The ones loved will never return. Then I think that some day I will go and never return.
It begs a question for all of us at times like these. When we go, for we all went yesterday at some spiritual level, where will we end up? If you were to physically die today do you know for sure where you will go? Where will you end up? By faith I know the answer to this haunting question. I do not speculate about it. For me to be absent from my body is to be in the heavenly presence of Jesus Christ. I have the ultimate fire insurance policy. I have what we in evangelical circles call eternal security in my hip pocket. That is cool. That is tight, as my kids would say. But at a deep spot in my spirit it is not enough. I don't want to just live forever with God, whatever that means. I want more. What I want is meaning, meaning for not tomorrow, but for today. I want to know the "what for" of my being.
As I listen to the media go on and on about the poor people and the deficient bridge, the question that keeps being asked is, "Why did the bridge collapse?" Then they ask, "Who is to blame for this disaster?" "Are there other bridges that are on the verge of falling too?" "What can we do to avoid crossing dangerous, deficient bridges?" "These poor people will have died for nothing unless we can find out the why and work to avoid the again." Don't those question apply to some of our daily lives? I think some of us think that if we were to die tomorrow it wouldn't be fare. After all, we would have had so much to have lived for, we are too, too young. Our kids still need us. God should be more fare. Some of us, if we lost a loved one, would first ask who was at fault. What did my loved one do to deserve to die? And in such a way! Some will blame chance, fate, luck, others, and some, maybe most, will blame God. Many will try to live their lives attempting to figure out how not to die. They will insulate themselves from the world as best they can. They will drive as little as possible, they will never fly, they will always buckle up, they will purchase cars they can not afford because the car has the most five star safety ratings, they will wear helmets, they will always cross at the corners, and will (ironically) have great life insurance policies. Oh, and bottled water is the only thing to touch their lips. Eat a quarter pounder with cheese!? You could die! Eat an apple or have some broccoli.
Jesus Christ has given us so much more than a fire insurance policy. He came to set us free from sin and from death so that we can live our lives and live them more abundantly. Setting us free from sin...that is a right now thing! To be free from sin is to be able to really live. And why live...?...so that we can demonstrate God's mighty worth, His immeasurable value, His incomparable beauty, His wondrous grace, in every second of every day of our lives. The Apostle Paul said, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." He didn't live afraid of the bridges in his life collapsing. He lived every moment knowing the why, knowing that is was by God's grace that he lived at all, and that his heavenly father was going to keep him by His side from Paul's now to Paul's and God's forever. The bridge in Paul's journey, it was built by God and Paul knew so by faith.
There is a famous, old hymn. Its chorus goes; On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. How appropriate a teaching in light of yesterday's unfortunate event in Minneapolis. Are the bridges in your life, seeking towards God, built by men, is that where your trust is? Or, is the bridge in your life leading you to God built by God himself, for you, for your now and forever? Yesterday the gap being crossed was from the east bank of the Mississippi River to the west. For me it lead to a doctor's office the day before. To some on Wednesday it lead to home, a store, a job, a baseball game, to eternity with or without God. We trust the bridges people construct. These bridges fail us. All human bridges will fail ultimately. I am happy to say that the gap that I am crossing is the one that is between me and the wonderful God who created me. It is a gap caused by sin (my rebellious nature against God) and, by my heavenly father's grace, He has placed a bridge in the person of Jesus Christ, that will never, never fail. It will get me to my final end and way...full of joy and love. There will be no rust nor decay...no dust and twisted metal.
It became a big deal on Wednesday August 1, 2007, the "Next" day after my crossing. For some, unknown as yet reason, the bridge came "...falling down." On the deck were dozens of cars, trucks, and at least one school bus. The dust that rose was not from the machinery this time, rather it was from the crumbling of the concrete deck which turned to powder in some areas. The dust soon became augmented by black, petroleum based smoke as the fuel tanks of some cars and trucks ignited and the interiors of the vehicles melted and then flashed into open flames. Most walked away or were quickly carried away by volunteers and first responders who were randomly passing by or immediately called to the scene. Some were seriously injured and taken to the county hospital near by. Some laid pinned and or unconscious drowning as their vehicles filled with muddy Mississippi River water. There was no sound on the television screen as I watched this horrible event's aftermath, only silence, images, and my thoughts of the day before. Timing, in some very real sense...it is everything. Why them, why not me?
Being a fairly sober person I can not say that this event has cause me to have what is referred to as a sobering moment, nor was it a sobering experience for me. It has caused me to be even more reflective than I normally am. It causes me to think about my fragility from a physical perspective. It makes me think of how the things we humans build are seemingly awe inspiring, immovable, giant, forever. But they only seem that way. There are forces at play that are so, so much greater no matter how big and strong we make things. It causes me think about how life goes on as I went to work this morning, uninterrupted, even while there were bodies still not recovered, and families desperate for information about a missing loved one. The radio played the same music, people made jokes, the sun still rose, money still has to be made, earned, and spent. Groundhog Day. The bridge came to an end yesterday...lives passed into eternity along with it. A bridge will be built in its place, stronger, more spectacular, safer, more enduring. It too, someday, will come down. The ones loved will never return. Then I think that some day I will go and never return.
It begs a question for all of us at times like these. When we go, for we all went yesterday at some spiritual level, where will we end up? If you were to physically die today do you know for sure where you will go? Where will you end up? By faith I know the answer to this haunting question. I do not speculate about it. For me to be absent from my body is to be in the heavenly presence of Jesus Christ. I have the ultimate fire insurance policy. I have what we in evangelical circles call eternal security in my hip pocket. That is cool. That is tight, as my kids would say. But at a deep spot in my spirit it is not enough. I don't want to just live forever with God, whatever that means. I want more. What I want is meaning, meaning for not tomorrow, but for today. I want to know the "what for" of my being.
As I listen to the media go on and on about the poor people and the deficient bridge, the question that keeps being asked is, "Why did the bridge collapse?" Then they ask, "Who is to blame for this disaster?" "Are there other bridges that are on the verge of falling too?" "What can we do to avoid crossing dangerous, deficient bridges?" "These poor people will have died for nothing unless we can find out the why and work to avoid the again." Don't those question apply to some of our daily lives? I think some of us think that if we were to die tomorrow it wouldn't be fare. After all, we would have had so much to have lived for, we are too, too young. Our kids still need us. God should be more fare. Some of us, if we lost a loved one, would first ask who was at fault. What did my loved one do to deserve to die? And in such a way! Some will blame chance, fate, luck, others, and some, maybe most, will blame God. Many will try to live their lives attempting to figure out how not to die. They will insulate themselves from the world as best they can. They will drive as little as possible, they will never fly, they will always buckle up, they will purchase cars they can not afford because the car has the most five star safety ratings, they will wear helmets, they will always cross at the corners, and will (ironically) have great life insurance policies. Oh, and bottled water is the only thing to touch their lips. Eat a quarter pounder with cheese!? You could die! Eat an apple or have some broccoli.
Jesus Christ has given us so much more than a fire insurance policy. He came to set us free from sin and from death so that we can live our lives and live them more abundantly. Setting us free from sin...that is a right now thing! To be free from sin is to be able to really live. And why live...?...so that we can demonstrate God's mighty worth, His immeasurable value, His incomparable beauty, His wondrous grace, in every second of every day of our lives. The Apostle Paul said, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." He didn't live afraid of the bridges in his life collapsing. He lived every moment knowing the why, knowing that is was by God's grace that he lived at all, and that his heavenly father was going to keep him by His side from Paul's now to Paul's and God's forever. The bridge in Paul's journey, it was built by God and Paul knew so by faith.
There is a famous, old hymn. Its chorus goes; On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. How appropriate a teaching in light of yesterday's unfortunate event in Minneapolis. Are the bridges in your life, seeking towards God, built by men, is that where your trust is? Or, is the bridge in your life leading you to God built by God himself, for you, for your now and forever? Yesterday the gap being crossed was from the east bank of the Mississippi River to the west. For me it lead to a doctor's office the day before. To some on Wednesday it lead to home, a store, a job, a baseball game, to eternity with or without God. We trust the bridges people construct. These bridges fail us. All human bridges will fail ultimately. I am happy to say that the gap that I am crossing is the one that is between me and the wonderful God who created me. It is a gap caused by sin (my rebellious nature against God) and, by my heavenly father's grace, He has placed a bridge in the person of Jesus Christ, that will never, never fail. It will get me to my final end and way...full of joy and love. There will be no rust nor decay...no dust and twisted metal.
No comments:
Post a Comment