The Job of Building Bridges

There is a story about two widowed sisters who lived together later in life. At one point they had such a bitter fight, they stopped speaking to each other. Unable or unwilling to leave their small home, they continued to sleep in the same bedroom. Things were so bad that they drew a chalk line dividing every room so that they each could come and go without trespassing on the other sister’s space. For years they coexisted in silence. Neither was willing to take the first step to reconciliation.

Then one night one sister got up to go to the bathroom and fell, breaking her hip. The other sister heard the fall and scream and woke up. She jumped out of bed crossed the chalk line and came to her sister’s side. After a typical jab asking why she would do such a foolish thing as trip on her own feet, one sister held the other until the paramedics came and carried her to the hospital. In those moments of darkness, the truth and power of love revealed itself. 

The late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall once told this story, ending it with these words. “The legal system can force open doors, and sometimes even knock down walls, but it cannot build bridges. That job belongs to you and me.”

Let us pray: Gracious God, we thank you for your unconditional love and forgiveness of us. Help us to share those same gifts with the people around us – friends, family members, and neighbors. May we be the first to build bridges – the first to offer forgiveness, and the first to seek reconciliation – for we remember that life is short and we don’t have forever. We ask in the name of Christ. Amen.