The Weight of Truth

Do you have a fear of bridges?

Me? Not so much. But there are a couple that have made me nervous—the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit to Windsor rises more than 150 feet above the river. And it’s over a mile long. I admit to being a bit shaky on that one.

My wife on the other hand? Just let her know when it’s over so she can open her eyes.

Why are we afraid of bridges? Well… we aren’t. We’re afraid of what happens if the bridge fails.

I suspect this same fear may be interfering with our relationships. We’re not so much afraid of relationships as we are their failure. The fall. The crash. The devastation.

So what do we do?

Build relationships strong enough that the bridge between you and the person on the other side can bear the weight truth.

It could be that no one is telling you the truth because your relationships are so fragile; they’re afraid to. And it could be that you are afraid to share the truth with some who need to hear it from you because you’ve not built the relational bridge.

About Bridge Building

Some quick notes:

    If you’re married, be careful how strong the bridge gets with people of the opposite gender.

    If you’re an introvert, this will probably be one or two people, but at least one of them should not be in your family.

    If you’re an extrovert, this doesn’t need to be everyone you know, but be careful not to hide in the crowd of your friends.

And some suggestions:

1. Spend time together. Friendship is shared experience. The more experiences you share the stronger your friendship will become.
2. Talk about things that don’t matter. These are the pilings upon which the bridge will eventually be built. 
3. Talk about things that matter. At some point you’ve got to start building. Share a little more vulnerably every few times you are together. Go slow. Give away trust, but in increments. 
4. Ask more questions than you give answers, but don’t withhold yourself. For most of us, our favorite subject is us. Be on the asking side of that equation more often than the volunteering perspective side.
5. Be patient with slow bridge-builders, and encourage them. Some folks have just had too many bridges blown up and they are afraid of what might happen with a new one. Let your grace cover their pace.

Christ-follower, you may be wondering… is this all Biblical?

One verse rings in my mind, Galatians 6:1-3 — “If another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.”

Still not sure? Google the “one anothers” in the Bible. I think you’ll find the rest of your concerns will melt away as you read them.

Now let’s go shore up some bridges.