Navya Neelam, CSJ (of Chambery in India) explores being the bridge needed in our world today. This is an excerpt of a talk she gave during Hope-Esperanza 2024.
We are not here just to create lasting Bridges of hope but TO BE THE BRIDGE. There is a difference between creating a bridge and being the bridge.
I love what Kate Senekal says about being a bridge in her blog post.
Being a bridge often means a lifetime of dedication and a faith for the unseen. It is a decision to keep one’s feet firmly planted in the reality of the present pain of the world, yet reaching our arms out over the pit, to the future hope, that lies on the other side.
As we stretch ourselves across, our bodies create a bridge that allows others to pass over into this hope. It may mean we spend our lives staying there in the gap, committed to being the support structure for the bridge so that others can cross over.
By faith we stand on the edge of the divide, not yet sure of what lies on the other side, not knowing if we’ll ever even see the other side-but we go into the pit anyways. We dive in, fully expectant and confident that God’s plans and purposes are perfect.
My thoughts go to my own mother who allowed herself and still allows herself to be a bridge in the family.
In my community I am a bridge between the sisters with whom I live. In my ministry I am a bridge between the students and the staff. I think if I can be a bridge all the time, I will have lived my call to the full.
All throughout Jesus’ life and ministry, he built bridges where religion had built walls. He stood in the gap between Jew and gentile, rich and poor, prostitute and Pharisee – and not everyone was happy about it.
As a leader, being a bridge means to be like Jesus who was a servant leader. There is a similarity between a bridge and a servant. Both are for others. A leader is for others. I am for others.
The questions that I ask myself are:
What has God purposefully placed in my life?
What GAP has He called me to fill?
What DIVIDE has He called me to overcome?
There are so many problems in the world! It is easy to become overwhelmed and feel like there is nothing I can possibly do to make any meaningful difference.
“Human trafficking is too big to tackle.”
“World hunger is impossible to overcome.”
“Inequality is just the way the world is.”
“Corruption is too entrenched in society.”
“Addiction is a never-ending battle.”
So, why keep fighting?
The truth is, the problems and pain of this world are overwhelming, but if I am willing to play my part of the bigger picture, I believe God will work miracles, and the impossible will be overcome with His goodness and glory.
It’s time to lay down my excuses and pick up my crosses.
It’s time to take God at His word, and reach out by faith towards the promise that is coming.
It’s time for us to stand together in the gap, as Jesus did, to provide a way for others to cross over into freedom.
IT'S TIME TO BE A BRIDGE.