Building a Bridge

Bridges are often used as metaphors in relationships – for trust, communication, journeying, overcoming obstacles, etc.

Challenges of course come when a bridge is damaged in some way – be it an earthquake, erosion, lack of maintenance – suddenly a fracture exists and a bridge is not bridging the divide as intended.

The response to broken bridges is of course whether to re-build or repair. A re-build using existing materials could be problematic, as fractures could happen again for any number of reasons: the material could be past its prime, there may be variance on how the two sides of the bridge line up, the landscape on either side of the bridge may have been negatively affected or newly destabilised, etc. Whatever distress has caused a bridge to fail may continue to exist and impact – even with the best of intentions, a bridge may not be as strong.

A new bridge, on the other hand, has its own considerations. They are planned, and intentional; they require commitment and a shared goal to cross the divide. They can also benefit from newer perspectives and technologies, boundaries and limitations, etc. They can tend to be more expensive, in terms of time and input.

In chatting bridge metaphors with a colleague, she suggested the imagery of a living bridge – she had seen a tree sapling that was melded and shaped to grow bent over, thus creating an intentionally trained living bridge across a pond. She said it was fascinating to witness, but it took time, and attention, and she wasn’t sure it was overall the best growth pattern for the tree.

Alas! My simple reflections on bridges relate to our interpersonal connections. I am not an engineer; I suspect my engineering friends could offer much greater advice and depth to this thinking. However, my summary is this: the act of building is an act of co-creating, of exposure to vulnerability, of hope over experience. They are not to be done too fast or too slow; with good communication and a plan that works for that place and time.

And, especially when the bridge is a metaphorical (rather than architectural) construct, it is essential to keep God in the construction crew. For in any connection that we have, find, make, or maintain, it is safer and healthier to traverse the journey accompanied by God.