I held onto my friend’s arm.
With wool scarves around our necks, we shivered, trying to keep the cold wind that swept through the streets of the city that never sleeps. We weaved around people on crowded sidewalks. A strange symphony of sounds played—cars blowing their horns, music blaring from speakers by clubs and restaurants and all around, people speaking in varied languages passed us by.
We finally reached her car. I settled in the passenger’s seat while she drove. “And we’re now crossing the bridge to another borough,” she said. “In New York, the five boroughs are divided by bridges.”
They divide wonderfully luxurious neighborhoods and also some sadly riddled by poverty.
Similarity to Life’s Bridges
They serve as passages transitioning the traveler from one point to another—from employment to unemployment, from health to a troubling diagnosis, from abundance to scarcity, from the security of a solid relationship to loneliness, from calmness to grief.
And the unpleasant journey continues, even when Christmas comes around. While others rejoice and wish each other Merry Christmas, our wish is to have enough strength to keep crossing. Carrying the bag of hope, we shuffle forward on that bridge. And as we do, we have these choices: to trust or crumble. To move forward or retreat. To walk with confidence or with shaky steps. And to lament the long journey or enjoy each stage instead.
God invites us to choose the latter, to trust in Him, truly trust without looking around at the circumstance. And while crossing that bridge, for us to remove any trace of fear. He said:
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, yes, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10).
And His yes should be a reassuring confirmation that He is with us. That He will pave the way. And that He will make the bridge from grief to peace possible.
Let’s Pray
Father, I reach out to You to hold me steady. I lean on Your promise that You will strengthen me when my weakness shows and my despair rises. Help me to stay in course to reach the other side of this bridge. In Jesus’ name I ask, amen.
How do you interpret God’s yes when He promises He will help you? {eoa}
Janet Perez Eckles is an international speaker and the author of four books. She has helped thousands conquer fear and bring back joy.
This article originally appeared at janetperezeckles.com.
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett