Photo by Dee Kamp
The
Snow Bridge Incident
I’ve shared this personal story of my moment of
greatest fear before, but it is been awhile. And this morning the Lord put the
memory of it on my heart and said, “Share it, someone needs to hear it today.”
“Rejoice in
the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident
to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 NIV
When Bill and I were first married we delighted in
the times away from our jobs to go into the mountains and do some short day
hiking. I was a novice! Never before had I camped and done such things. But my
Bill was raised in Colorado and lots of experience, he is a natural with
nature.
We were camping near Mount Baker in Washington State.
We had good forest maps and there was a little trail up the base of the
mountain we chose for our hike that day. But after a while we found there were
still patches of snow here and there, but had no problem walking through them
and finding the trail. I felt pretty confident and was enjoying these new
adventures that is until our trail led us a place where we would need to cross
a snow bridge!
Bill marched confidently on ahead of me but
halfway across it, I stopped, frozen in place. Suddenly a fear came over me
like I had never experienced before in my life.
When he got the short distance across Bill turned
in surprise to see me still standing there. I said, “I can’t take a step I know
I’ll slip and fall.”
“No you won’t, its safe, follow my footsteps,” he
called to me.
I only shook my head and the tears began to fall
down my cheeks and my legs began to shake. Bill came back to me and spoke very
softly saying, “Now I’ll turn around and you put your hand on my shoulder and
don’t let go and don’t look down, look only at me.
I had to take three deep breaths and really-really trust him. One step, two steps
and then before I knew it we were across!
Today as I read Philippians 4:4-7, I heard the
Lord whisper in my heart, “Put your hand on my shoulder, we’ll cross all bridges
you face together.”
It’s not the first time the Lord reminded me to
put my hand on His shoulder, in His hand and in His trust. I like so many of
you have had to cross a troubled bridge, not of snow but of circumstances. A
bridge over troubled waters. I truly say with great joy, Jesus has never failed
me once. He has encouraged me in gentle and understanding love, given me His strength
to press on and together gotten me safely across and into His loving arms.
“This is the Christ in whom you’ve been placed.
This is the Christ who surrounds you-above you, beneath you, around you, before
you, behind you, within you. This is the Christ who is all, and in all. You are
complete, “running over,” in Him” Anne Ortlund
