We travel through villages in the bubble of our car, untouched and undisturbed by the surroundings. A familiar song plays softly in the background. We are all busy with our own thoughts, processing the month, the day, the minutes. We make a quick stop when our fellow passenger gets car sick. She has terminal brain cancer, and the heat is making her feel worse. She laughs shyly to hide the pain. We talk about familiar things as we continue on our way to a nearby village.

As we approach a bridge, the war becomes evident. Shot into a thousand pieces, the bridge lies in tatters. We follow a detour and cross the ravine another way.

The village on the other side of the bridge looks like a different country. Burnt buildings, bombed buildings, rubble—all tell the same story. People used to live here, but now abandoned vehicles and silence fill the once-busy neighborhood.

People are being told to return to their villages, but what is there to return to? I try to imagine what has happened here, but I can’t. I wonder where these people are now and think about how their lives are forever altered.

I think about the bridge, and how one side of the ravine is so different from the other. Bridges make all the difference—that is as true in the spiritual realm as in the physical one. Yet, people can get stuck on bridges. They believe they are worshipping the true God, that He answers their prayers and provides them a path to a better future. They are dedicated to their beliefs, and they do good works. So why are they stuck? Because they don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. To some He is only a prophet, and to others an unknown figure. We must meet people wherever they are on the bridge; love them and care for them and lead them over the bridge to Jesus.

Let’s not be selfish and stay on the comfortable side of the bridge. What a privilege we have to cross the bridge to the bullet-riddled side and bring as many people back over as we can. God is calling them. Stretch out your hand and lead someone over the bridge to Jesus today.

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