On our way home from a camping trip we were crossing a lake in the North Georgia mountains. It is a beautiful lake with scenic views that are tremendous and only God can create. As we boarded the bridge, which was very long, I wondered how many years ago it was built. It was an old structure with steel beams running along the side of us, below us, and over us.
Our trust in this faithful old bridge was true to the level that we trusted it completely. It was built by men and women we will never meet because most of them live with the Lord, hopefully all the ones that have gone on before us do! This bridge is probably between 80 to 100 years old but the structure was sound and people trusted it to get them to the other side.
This bridge reminded me of a poem I have read many times. It is called the “Builder” and I wish I knew the author but I do not. It is about life and what I am doing to contribute to it. Everyone should read this poem and look within themselves to see if they are a wrecker of life or a builder to those around us.
Each day our faith in God is tested and the way we react to these tests are seen by those who follow us. Our children, brothers, sisters, spouses, friends, neighbors, and even people we do not know are watching us. How we handle adversity and problems of life will forever be etched in someone’s mind whether we realize it or not. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in a way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
I am printing the words of the poem I mentioned hoping that it will have the same meaning to you as it has with me.
A Poem by an Unknown Author:
“The Builder”
I saw a group of men in my hometown; A group of men tearing a building down
With a heave and a ho and mighty yell; They swung a beam and an entire wall fell
I asked the supervisor, “Are these men skilled? The type you’d hire if you wanted to build?”
And he laughed and said, “Why no indeed! Common labor, people with no talent is all I need
For I can tear down in a day or two; What it took a builder years to do”
And I thought to myself as I walked away; Which of the roles am I going to play?
Am I one who is tearing down; As I carelessly make my way around?
Or am I one who builds with care; In hopes that my friends
(my brothers and sisters) will be glad I was there?
The bridge that we were crossing over the lake on has stood the test of time because of the skilled labor that built it. We are grateful that it has and it got us over the lake with no problems because someone cared to do it right and help those that were coming behind them. Our lives are much like this bridge. Are we looking to God to carry us through this life on earth and are we building a bridge for those who are following us? Will our bridge stand the test of time for everyone to say, “Thank you for thinking of me as you went through life and sowing the seeds of righteousness, hard work, a great attitude, and a love for God who sees and knows everything? Each one of us has the option of being a wrecker or a builder. Which one will you choose?
GARY ANDREWS' devotional appears each week on the Church Pages of your Clarksdale Press Register. You can contact him at GARY@gadevotionals.com
