Beautifully Broken Bridges

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Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. Ecclesiastes 4:9

These fabulous ladies took me in and gave me comfort. They showed me how to really teach. They helped heal my broken heart and reminded me to choose joy! Jesus sent these beauties into my life just when I needed them most. 

Throughout the years, our group enlarged, some retired, and I changed schools. The love remains. The laughter is still contagious.

I found a new home at Furlow Charter School. I became part of new team- Bridges. You might recognize us as a connections class or that place where kids go when homeroom teachers need their planning. At Furlow, our Bridges advisors are the art, music, PE, and world language talent. We work with all the kids. We work beside all the teachers. We do this with grace and determination to be an integral part of building our school success and culture.

Bridges became a personal symbol of resilience and strength to me.
 
You see, I’m actually afraid of driving on real bridges. I can climb the Eiffel Tower, fly in a plane, and zip-line from one mountain to the next, but ask me drive across the bridge from Savannah into South Carolina, from Port St. Joe into Mexico Beach, or from Brunswick onto Jekyll Island, and I quickly lose my intrepid nature.
 
I struggle to remember to not throw away my confidence.
 
Bridges build self-assurance, symbolizing hope for a better life or perhaps willingness to tackle problems.
 
Bridges help people. They show people different places and unusual things that would have otherwise been inaccessible. Bridges are more than connections.

Bridges are beautiful. They carry people from one place to the next, protecting them from the gap underneath. No bridge is perfect. They must sometimes be strengthened with new materials and new ideas.
 
Bridges are a precious balance between blessings and burdens.

Last year at a conference, I heard two amazing speakers from Columbus, Georgia, talk about bridges. These men explained how teachers have a choice. Teachers can build with their words or destroy with their complaints. Inside any educational facility, coworkers either spend time building barriers- fences if you will- with the people they work with, or teachers can spend time building bridges, creating a trusting community of friendships.

It just depends which way you flip the boards.

Where do you find the confidence to flip the boards?
 
I prefer to focus on the beautifully broken bridges in my life. I mean those incredible people who guide me from one side to the other. They are beautifully broken because they are a mosaic of hopes, specialties, gifts, grace, and inspiration. These people in my life were once broken by hardship and life experiences, but they chose the gift of confidence in Christ. They understand how to live into their faith, modeling Christian charity, and challenging me to let my light shine through my broken pieces.
 
Who are these precious people in your life? Who showed you what healing looks like?
Who has given you encouragement when you were stepping out in faith?
Who offered you laughter, comfort, and hope during sadness of life?
Who took your fence and turned it into a path – showing you how to move forward instead of looking back?

My friend Johnnie puts it this way, Sometimes we need a little Jesus with skin on it.

Jesus is the bridge between my mistakes and His glory. My failures and His Love. My sorrow and His Joy. He is my confidence. And I am blessed- completely blessed- that He sends beautifully broken people into my life to be his hands and feet. It is always when I need them the most.

Don’t be afraid to take the fence and flip it over. Don't throw away your confidence.

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