The Bridge
There once was this turntable bride which spanned a large river. During most of the day, the bridge sat parrallel with the tracks, allowing ships to pass freely on both sides. But at certain times each day a train would come along, and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river allowing the trains to cross.
A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and locj it into place as the trin crossed. One evening as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day, he looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight and caught sight of the train's light. He stepped to the cotrols and waiting until the train was within a prescribed distance when he was to turn the bridge into position. He turned the bridge but to his horrow, found that the locking control didn't work.
If the bridge was not locked into position securly, it would wobble back and forth at the ends when the train came onto it. This would cause the train to jump track and go crashing into the river. This train was a passenger train with many people aboard. He left the bridge turned across the river, and hurried across the bridge side of the river where there was a lever he could use to operate the lock manually. He could hear the rumble of the train now. He took hold of the lever and leaned backward to apply presure to keep the mechanism locked.
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 crossed 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 lifted the lever to run and snatch up his son, and carry him to safety, but he realized he could not get back to the lever in time. Either the people on the train or his little son must die.
He took just a moment to make his decision. The train sped swiftly and safely on it's way, and no one on board was aware of the tiny, broken, body thrown mercilessly into the river by the rushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of a sobbing man still clinging tightly to the lever long after the train had passed. They didn't see him walking home more slowly than he had ever walked, to tell his wife how he had sacrificed her son. Now if you can comprehend the feelings which went through this man's heart, you can understand te feelings of our heavenly father when he sacrificed his Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. How does He feel when we speed along through lfe without giving thought to what was done for us through His Son, Jesus? Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when his only Son died?
- Author Unknown |
