Walls to Bridges

I have it in my mind that I’m a bridge builder.  Oh, I’m not an engineer by any means, nor do I actually build physical, tangible bridges.  Nonetheless, I do find myself building them....bridges leading to acceptance, understanding, appreciation and eventually to love.

Quite a while ago I started a fairly large  painting I was going to title, “From Walls to Bridges”.  It was to be a painting of people of all colors, nationalities, etc, each taking the stones from the walls on their side and using them to build a bridge spanning the chasm between them.... allowing each to freely walk across to the other side.  I wanted to include new communities being formed; to show the re-unification of  God’s family. 

I wanted to show all those things I saw in my heart but either couldn’t, or didn’t know how to, express them in paint.  The painting stayed stapled to the wall for quite a while.  I even transferred it to a different wall so I could begin another painting.  I looked at it every time I entered my studio.  My students looked and wondered, some aloud, when I would finish it. 

I felt sad the day I removed it from the wall, rolled it up and put it away.  From my students, when they noticed its absence, was excitement in the form of, “Oh, did you finish it?  Let us see!  Where is it?  I want to see what you did.”  These quickly turned to “Oh.”   “Well, you’ll get back to it when it’s time.” and  “It just wasn’t ready to be painted yet.”  (I love those women!)

Not finishing the painting didn’t affect my being a bridge builder.  On the contrary, it made me realize my bridge building is meant to be more active than expressing it in paint.  I am constantly being given opportunities to build.....some small and even some larger bridges.  Sometimes I have to work hard at the building while other times I may only have to suggest and encourage while others proceed with the building.

There’s always plenty of material available and in a way, I find it kind of humorous.  We simply recycle the stones others have used to build thicker and higher walls.  Of course, those who are intent on building walls try to use the stones of the bridges so the work is on-going.  It never stops. 

Some walls are too high and too slippery to climb so there will always be bridges to build.  Bridges are the only way God’s family will become united.

                                                                     Unfinished

God Bless!
Connie