I Want A Life Of Bridges, Not Walls

Oct 8, 2014

Fear builds walls

not bridges.

Walls between people and cultures.

Walls that prevent understanding and lead to pain and isolation.

There was a young boy in my class many, many  years ago.

A boy with a smile that lit up the whole room.

He was new to the school that year and knew no one.

Yes, all the way from  Amsterdam –

He spoke no English.

When I first heard that he was being placed in my class

I wondered how I would teach him anything.

I knew no French except for oui  (yes).

How would I make a connection?

How would I help my other students build relationships with him?

Could I possibly reach him and be successful in teaching him?

Somehow I knew that I must try.

But this young boy embraced that challenge of first grade in America with an open spirit

and we all gave that to him.

He quickly learned the class routines, the names of his fellow students, my name.

Yes, he amazed me how quickly he picked up English.

And he taught all of us how to count in French and an assortment of other words and phrases.

Together we laughed and shared

and a bridge of understanding was built.

I long to live a life of bridges, not walls. Don’t you, my friend?

Bridges that connect us

where we can learn from each other.

Yes, I was the teacher that year but that young boy taught me more than he will ever know.

There is no fear when we are willing to learn from each other.

Let’s build bridges wherever we live.

Let’s listen

And learn

And be willing to take that first step forward.

Will you join me today in building a bridge?

 

 

 

 

 

 

bridge 1

2 Comments

  1. Mary Sayler

    Thank you, Sharon. Your poetic word also speaks to the bridges needed in the church Body of Christ, so I’ll highlight this on the Christian Poets & Writers blog – https://christianpoetsandwriters.blogspot.com – and pray for Christians everywhere to be constructive builders and re-builders of the church. May walls of fear and distrust among our diverse denominations come down in Jesus’ Name.

    Reply
    • SharonBrani

      So very true, Mary. One person makes a big difference and we follow Him as we build.

      Reply

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