The Crossing

by Barry Brindisi

Never let it be said that God doesn’t have a sense of humor or a curious way of teaching you something.  This is precisely what happened when Ted and I went for a walk in the woods of Pine Beach on a chilly autumn afternoon.

Ted and I had taken a trail that lead to a lake with a small creek.  We could see that the heavy rain had washed away a makeshift bridge.  There was only the long beam of wood and some small pieces left.  The bridge was made by Ted’s son and his friend Kevin.

Thankfully, we were wearing boots or we’d have not fared so well.  Ted quickly took the long beam and placed it in the shallow part of the creek.  The goal was to cross over and continue walking.  “Is that beam going to hold our weights,” I thought nervously.

Ted had assured me, the beam would hold both our weights and we’d be fine crossing the creek.  The creek started shallow on our side.  It was at the very end, the water became more than a foot deep.   After crossing, we continued our walking.   On the return trip, I had a sense that God was up to something.

We began crossing on the deep side of the creek.  By now, the beam was almost covered by water, but the only time we had trouble was when my fear took hold, my grip on Ted’s shoulder became tight, and I didn’t relax my muscles. It was when I relaxed and trusted his guidance that we made steady and easy progress across the bridge.  At one point, Ted had to tell me, “Barry, get your eyes off yourself and look around.”  I did so and became more relaxed.

As I consider the whole adventure, I can’t help but see a parallel of my own walk with Jesus and the crossing of a simple creek.  Am I trusting in God’s provision?  Am I relaxed and trusting God to direct my steps? Am I listening to the still small voice saying, “Take your eyes off yourself and trust me” ?

Or am I doing things in my way?  I could have chosen to cross that creek in my own strength; however, I’d been a real mess.  The boots are waterproof, but the pants are not.