Yesterday morning, my dad and I began our journey to Sanderson, Florida.  As I was driving down the road, my heart filled with excitement and anticipation as I looked forward to seeing my dear friends, Karen Peck and New River.  On the way there, my complete and utter joy briefly faded when we encountered an unexpected detour.  When we were less than 30 minutes away from the church, we came to a place in the road with a large sign that said, Bridge Out.

We had driven for over an hour for the sole purpose of attending church and fellowshipping with dear friends, just to find that the road had been closed.  I immediately began to silently pray that God would show us how to find our way as my dad studied the road map to find an alternate route.  With several twists and turns on winding dirt roads and one particularly narrow little bridge, we finally reached the main road once again, beyond the point where the bridge was out.
As we proceeded on our way to the church, I thanked God for giving my dad the wisdom to use his expert navigational skills in order to find the best route to travel to reach our destination.  Fortunately, we allowed some extra time for wiggle room, just in case we encountered any obstacles along the way.  As such, we arrived at the church with plenty of time to spare.  The service was anointed and the fellowship was sweet.  It was a morning that encouraged, uplifted, and inspired me.  But without that wiggle room, we would have missed out on a blessing straight from Heaven above.
On the way home, I couldn’t help but think about the way that life is a lot like our encounter with the bridge being out.  Many times, we are sailing along through life, going to work, going to church, fulfilling our daily obligations, and then, suddenly, we come to a point in the journey where the road has been washed out.  All of our routines and schedules come to a crashing halt.  We sit staring at the Bridge Out sign, uncertain as to what we should do.  Should we sit there in despair, look for a detour, or simply give up on life because of this obstacle that has entered our path?
Sometimes, there will be things in life that are beyond our control, much like a road or bridge being closed.  It could be that someone in our family gets sick, a friend is in a car accident, or a neighbor’s house burns to the ground.  But when something unexpected comes our way, we have to learn to make allowances for these things that alter our plans, no matter how difficult this feat may seem.  We cannot dwell on the sign that says Bridge Out.  Instead, we have to allow wiggle room.  We cannot abandon the hope that we have in Christ.  We have to remember that He is faithful and He will never put more on us than we can bear.  We have to take our eyes off of the road ahead of us and fix our eyes on Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ will be our Guide through every moment of our lives.  He will make a way when there seems to be no other way.  Jesus Christ is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).  By focusing on Him, we will be able to overcome any obstacle that we face.  If we allow some wiggle room in our lives, then our lives will be forever changed.  He will bring peace that passes all understanding, hope in the most hopeless of situations, and infinite joy along the journey.  So the next time you come to a Bridge Out sign, don’t give up.  Allow Jesus to intervene in your circumstances.  Jesus Christ will be your Bridge when the bridge is out!
In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer