The Bridge
Robert Frost famously wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
Those two paths have become a familiar picture of the choices we make in life, particularly the idea of taking the road less traveled. However, life rarely narrows itself into two paths. We face many crossroads with innumerable options.
On a road trip with my daughter, we stopped at the Mississippi Welcome Center in Vicksburg. Looking out over the Mississippi River, I took a picture of two bridges stretching across the water: an old bridge and a new one.
Construction on the Old Vicksburg Bridge began in 1928, and it opened in 1930. At the time, it was the first bridge across the Mississippi River south of Memphis. Before that, travelers in the area depended on ferries to cross the river. The bridge carried both railroad tracks and U.S. Highway 80, one of the nation’s early coast-to-coast highways. For decades, trains, cars, buses, and trucks all crossed the Mississippi on the same structure.
As traffic increased and vehicles became larger, the old bridge’s two narrow traffic lanes were no longer adequate. The new Vicksburg Bridge opened beside it in 1973 as part of Interstate 20. Cars continued using the old bridge for another twenty-five years before it closed to vehicular traffic in 1998.
The old bridge has been preserved as a historic landmark, and trains continue using it to cross the river today. Its value and purpose remain, even if it is no longer the road most travelers use.
Like the bridges, sometimes a path no longer serves us, not because that path was wrong, but simply because we’ve grown and our needs have changed. We can appreciate where we’ve been, preserve what mattered, and continue to learn from it without traveling the same road.
Scripture speaks often about paths. We are told to trust in the Lord, and He will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5–6). His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). We may plan our course, but the Lord determines our steps (Proverbs 16:9).
Following the right path doesn’t guarantee a smooth journey. Jesus told His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). James didn’t tell Christians to consider it joy if they encountered trials of many kinds. He said When (James 1:2).
Sometimes you face storms. Other times the ominous clouds turn out to be smoke. Sometimes you have to go through the fire.
Take a closer look at the picture: the dark, ominous cloud is not a brewing storm. It’s smoke from a burning Dollar General truck we passed a short time later.
God directs our steps and lights the path, but we still choose whether to follow. Even the best-planned journey will have obstacles along the way.