The Bridge

Written by Kaitlin Nida

_{Photo and writing by my talented friend, Kaitlin Nida. Today’s writing is a reminder to never lose your childlike faith and wonder.}

When I was little, this bridge was a place of wonder and excitement. Crossing this bridge was my first dose of adrenaline. The wooden boards would sway under my feet and the cables would move under my three year old hands. At that moment in my young life, there was no higher point on Earth to reach. This was it. Adventure to the max. 

As I grew, so did the spirit of bravery. I went from holding my grandmother’s hand to running across the bridge at full speed, pretending I was Indiana Jones and had to escape the alligators that were chomping and swarming in the creek below. I would get down on my knees and peek through the slits of the old wood and swear that I actually saw one in real life. 

Of course there were no real alligators or beasts in the water, but the childlike ability to imagine and create made it my reality. 

“I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom.” (Mathew 18:25)

What if we never lost that ability to create and imagine? What if we remained stewards of wonder and sought to treasure it with the ease of a child? How far could God take us if we viewed our mission as an amazing adventure, full of excitement? This verse challenges me (and all of us) to always cross that bridge like it’s the highest point on earth. It’s a challenge to ‘start over’ and go back to the place where everything in the world is like you experiencing it for the first time. When we live in that place we see the world with fresh revelation and joy. When we live from this place, it’s a chance to stop worrying about every single outcome and just enjoy where we are. The beauty of crossing the bridge is not about whatever is over on the solid ground (although there are amazing things over there too). But sometimes it’s about letting your knees hit the unsteady wood…peeking through the slits, and looking for the alligators, and next time I am on that bridge again, I might just run.