Whenever he heard someone complain about something trivial, a friend of mine used to say, “Just build a bridge and get over it”. Although this was often said a humourous way, there is a strong message in it if we choose to look at it. What is the purpose for building a bridge? A bridge is a structure spanning and providing passage over a barrier, whether the barrier is an obstacle or a gap. When a bridge exists, the barrier is dwarfed by the bridge. However, without the bridge, the focal point becomes the barrier regardless of how big or small it is. Some barriers look insurmountable. The sheer size of them can be so overwhelming that sometimes we fail to get beyond viewing the viewing of the problem and into the stage of bridge-building. The Bible story of David and Goliath is a good example of this. When David stood before the giant Goliath he could have agreed with the general consensus and said, “He’s so big we can’t hit him”, but he chose to respond with a winners attitude, “He’s so big I can’t miss!” When we stand and face our barrier, we too are faced with two options when it speaks to us (and it will). We will either say, “I will” or “I won’t”, but we need to choose what our response will be. Henry David Thoreau once said, "Never look back unless you are planning to go that way." The next time a problem rises it’s dominating head before you, make the decision that you will face it head on. Then you can build a bridge and get over it.
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No doubt you have heard of the recent events regarding damage caused by the floods and then this week’s cyclone Yasi. The extent of the damage from the floods was in the billions, but then all of a sudden, as people are beginning to rebuild their lives, cyclone Anthony passes through and then the phenomenal Yasi unleashes it’s fury on Queensland. We heard the news about the cyclones while we were away on holidays this week on Bruny Island which is South of Hobart on the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. One morning whilst we were away, I decided to go for a walk along the beach. I was admiring the incredible view which reinforced to me God’s incredible design. The sand stone cliffs where I was standing right on the shoreline boasted some amazing patterns cut into the rocks by years of waves and storms that battered that part of the shoreline. I was thinking how amazing it would be to enjoy something like that every single day of the year, but then I realised something… without the storms, the amazing part of that coastline wouldn’t exist. I suddenly realised that even though there are many storms in life that we will face including some that seem like they carry the fury of Yasi, the storms will pass and although there may be some cleanup required, it is the pressure endured from the storms we have faced that have helped shape the lives that we are living right now. We are who we are because of the life we have lived. How we choose to respond to the storms that we will face over the course of the rest of our lives will determine who we will become. Weather the storm well. I’d love to hear your comments. Please click here to add your comments or feel free to share this article. Adrian Nyhuis
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