I've heard this before, I think on Joel Ostein or somewhere like that. It's
pretty emotional, and it sure does make you think, doesn't it? Thanks for
it, Amy.
For unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Amy Gordon" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 6:54 PM
Subject: Fw: The Bridge
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> =20
> The Bridge
>
> The Bridge
>
> by Max Lucado
>
> There was once a bridge which spanned a large river. During most of the =
> day the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river =
> paralleled with
> the banks, allowing ships to pass thru freely on both sides of the =
> bridge. But at certain times each day, a train would come along and the =
> bridge would
> be turned sideways across the river, allowing a train to cross it.
>
> A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he =
> operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the =
> train crossed.
> One evening as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day =
> to come, he looked off into the distance thru the dimming twilight and =
> caught sight
> of the trainlights. He stepped to the control and waited until the train =
> was within a prescribed distance when he was to turn the bridge. He =
> turned the
> bridge into position, but, to his horror, he found the locking control =
> did not work. If the bridge was not securely in position it would wobble =
> back and
> forth at the ends when the train came onto it, causing the train to jump =
> the track and go crashing into the river. This would be a passenger =
> train with
> many people aboard.
>
> He left the bridge turned across the river, and hurried across the =
> bridge to the other side of the river where there was a lever switch he =
> could hold to
> operate the lock manually. He would have to hold the lever back firmly =
> as the train crossed. He could hear the rumble of the train now, and he =
> took hold
> of the lever and leaned backward to apply his weight to it, locking the =
> bridge. He kept applying the pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many =
> lives
> depended on this man's strength.
>
> Then, coming across the bridge from the direction of his control shack, =
> he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. "Daddy, where are you?" =
> His four-year-old
> son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His first impulse was to =
> cry out to the child, "Run! Run!" But the train was too close; the tiny =
> legs would
> never make it across the bridge in time. The man almost left his lever =
> to run and snatch up his son and carry him to safety. But he realized =
> that he could
> not get back to the lever. Either the people on the train or his little =
> son must die.
>
> He took a moment to make his decision. The train sped safely and swiftly =
> on its way, and no one aboard was even aware of the tiny broken body =
> thrown mercilessly
> into the river by the onrushing train. Nor were they aware of the =
> pitiful figure of the sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the locking =
> lever long after
> the train had passed. They did not see him walking home more slowly than =
> he had ever walked: to tell his wife how their son had brutally died.
>
> Now if you comprehend the emotions which went this man's heart, you can =
> begin to understand the feelings of our Father in Heaven when He =
> sacrificed His
> Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. Can there be any =
> wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when =
> His Son died?
> How does He feel when we speed along thru life without giving a thought =
> to what was done for us thru Jesus Christ?
>
> When was the last time you thanked Him for the sacrifice of His Son?
>
>
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> charset="iso-8859-1"
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>
> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
> <HTML><HEAD>
> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
> charset=3Diso-8859-1">
> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=3DGENERATOR>
> <STYLE></STYLE>
> </HEAD>
> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
> <DIV> </DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The Bridge</FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The Bridge</FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>by Max Lucado</FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>There was once a bridge which spanned a =
> large=20
> river. During most of the day the bridge sat with its length running up =
> and down=20
> the river paralleled with<BR>the banks, allowing ships to pass thru =
> freely on=20
> both sides of the bridge. But at certain times each day, a train would =
> come=20
> along and the bridge would<BR>be turned sideways across the river, =
> allowing a=20
> train to cross it.</FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>A switchman sat in a small shack on one =
> side of the=20
> river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into =
> place=20
> as the train crossed.<BR>One evening as the switchman was waiting for =
> the last=20
> train of the day to come, he looked off into the distance thru the =
> dimming=20
> twilight and caught sight<BR>of the trainlights. He stepped to the =
> control and=20
> waited until the train was within a prescribed distance when he was to =
> turn the=20
> bridge. He turned the<BR>bridge into position, but, to his horror, he =
> found the=20
> locking control did not work. If the bridge was not securely in position =
> it=20
> would wobble back and<BR>forth at the ends when the train came onto it, =
> causing=20
> the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river. This would =
> be a=20
> passenger train with<BR>many people aboard.</FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>He left the bridge turned across the =
> river, and=20
> hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river where there was =
> a lever=20
> switch he could hold to<BR>operate the lock manually. He would have to =
> hold the=20
> lever back firmly as the train crossed. He could hear the rumble of the =
> train=20
> now, and he took hold<BR>of the lever and leaned backward to apply his =
> weight to=20
> it, locking the bridge. He kept applying the pressure to keep the =
> mechanism=20
> locked. Many lives<BR>depended on this man's strength.</FONT></DIV>
> <DIV> </DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Then, coming across the bridge from the =
> direction=20
> of his control shack, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. =
> "Daddy,=20
> where are you?" His four-year-old<BR>son was crossing the bridge to look =
> for=20
> him. His first impulse was to cry out to the child, "Run! Run!" But the =
> train=20
> was too close; the tiny legs would<BR>never make it across the bridge in =
> time.=20
> The man almost left his lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him =
> to=20
> safety. But he realized that he could<BR>not get back to the lever. =
> Either the=20
> people on the train or his little son must die.</FONT></DIV>
> <DIV> </DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>He took a moment to make his decision. =
> The train=20
> sped safely and swiftly on its way, and no one aboard was even aware of =
> the tiny=20
> broken body thrown mercilessly<BR>into the river by the onrushing train. =
> Nor=20
> were they aware of the pitiful figure of the sobbing man, still clinging =
> tightly=20
> to the locking lever long after<BR>the train had passed. They did not =
> see him=20
> walking home more slowly than he had ever walked: to tell his wife how =
> their son=20
> had brutally died.</FONT></DIV>
> <DIV> </DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Now if you comprehend the emotions =
> which went this=20
> man's heart, you can begin to understand the feelings of our Father in =
> Heaven=20
> when He sacrificed His<BR>Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal =
> life. Can=20
> there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to =
> darken=20
> when His Son died?<BR>How does He feel when we speed along thru life =
> without=20
> giving a thought to what was done for us thru Jesus Christ?</FONT></DIV>
> <DIV> </DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>When was the last time you thanked Him =
> for the=20
> sacrifice of His Son?<BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
>
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