Can you think of a task that seemed almost impossible but you got it done?
How did you do it?
Did you do it by yourself?
The bridge in this photograph represents such a task. When my cousin sent it to me, I got goose bumps. Her daddy, my daddy, two other brothers and a neighbor built it in the early 60’s. I was there when the two telegram poles were dropped off along with the planks. The poles were delivered by a skip loader. The operator of the skip loader literally dropped the two ends of the poles down the 70-foot embankment into the creek. They were dropped by heavy machinery, but lifted by shear man-power.
I was 8 years old and the sight of those men at the bottom of the embankment of the creek with the poles in their arms impressed the h____ — well, let me just say that I was impressed then, and I am still impressed by it.
It highlights the kinds of things that we can do if we get together. I have stood by fallen telegram poles. I have felt the weight of those poles. They are monsterous. The task was too big for one man, but with five of them working at this almost impossible task, these men got it done. They were what some people call, “real men”.
Obviously, God gave women special gifts, but the players in this picture were men, which is why I focus on them at this time. Being a man is not about the size of our muscles, but the size of our will. It is because God gave these men special talents and gifts which they brought together that they were able to lift these monsterous poles 70 feet in their air and get the job done.
A few of the following thoughts are highlighted for me as I reflect on this event.
One thought is that they were men. Men have special talents and gifts that they can bring to the table in every situation and make things happen. Looking at the photograph of these men who worked in the coal mines 5 days a week, you would not want to come against them in any situation. Their father was my grandfather. He taught them to stick together and they did. By the way, this was not the only bridge they ever built. They built bridges towards better education and better lives for their children. There is another thing that is highlighted for me as I reflect on this event.
They were men of purpose. The purpose was to build a bridge. They knew the purpose. God endowed them with the ability to accomplish it. The load was heavy. It was not easy but they got together and they did it. These men never entertained the notion that the job could not be done. “Can’t”, was not a part of their vocabulary. It reminds of an almost impossible task that my wife and I undertook. Notice that I said, “My wife and I”. Yes, we got together as a team to educate our children with the best education that money could buy. The thing that made it almost impossible was that we did not have a lot of money because we just did not make the big bucks. I never entertained the notion it could not be done so we got together with the children and we did it. I would like to encourage anyone who reads this that the task of education took longer and was much heavier than lifting telegram poles, but witnessing that event taught me how to get things done. There is one final highlight.
Everybody benefited from this bridge. Nobody had to pay a tax to cross it. It was free. Let’s face it; it belonged to God anyway.
Let’s scrap the Lone Ranger and get together. God bless.
Life Step Ministries 