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Pastoral Pondering:
Feeling low? Take a walk along the `Washington Bridge' |
“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the
body” (Proverbs 16:24).
We can never underestimate the power of the words people speak into our
lives. Our words actually have the power to heal. One definition of bless is, “to
enable to prosper, bringing comfort or joy.” We can all remember times when “a
word aptly spoken” (Proverbs 25:11) brought comfort and joy.
In a movie I once saw, an aging soap opera star was describing her life. She
was getting older and feeling she was losing her audience. Her boyfriend had left her and
she was estranged from her daughter.
Life seemed hopeless.
As she cried on her agent’s shoulder, the agent suggested it was time
for a “walk over Washington Bridge.” The soap star resisted, saying it was only
a crutch. The agent persisted and off they went.
The Washington Bridge was a grand escalator in a huge shopping mall. From the
top, as they descended, everyone could see them. The agent pretended she was an adoring
fan and shouted, “Oh, my, is it really you? It is! I can’t believe it. Oh,
please, may I have your autograph?” By then many others had recognized her and were
all crowding around in awe, asking for her autograph. The camera fades back as we see her
smiling and kissing babies and enjoying her renewed confidence. Her adoring fans empowered
her with their words.
When Jim and I moved back to Oregon after 13 years in north Idaho, I felt
lost and alone. In north Idaho I was blessed with deep friendships. I was involved in MOPS
(Mothers of Preschoolers), a rewarding and personally fulfilling ministry; grandchildren
were born there; it was “home.”
In Oregon, old insecurities resurfaced, anxiety loomed and loneliness
lingered. As I would cry on my husband’s shoulder he would suggest, “I think
it’s time for ‘a walk over the Washington bridge.’” I would resist,
saying it was only a crutch, but he would pack up and go back to northern Idaho for a
visit, where my “adoring fans” would shower me with love, encourage me and
empower me with their kind words. That empowerment enabled me to make Oregon
“home.”
In 2 Corinthians 7:5-7, Paul writes, “For when we came into Macedonia
this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn — conflicts on the
outside, fears within. But God, who comforts and downcast, comforted us by the coming of
Titus.... He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for
me, so that my joy was greater than ever.” Titus took Paul over “the Washington
Bridge.”
Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to someone who needs “a walk over he
Washington Bridge,” and someone might say of you, “But God, who comforts the
downcast, comforted me by the coming of Katie or Jeanne or Lorraine or Joe or ... so that
my joy is greater then ever.” Take someone for a walk today. Empower them with your
words; enable them to prosper.
Jeanne Leonard is a pastor at Salem Friends Church. |
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From Dec. 20,
2003, Newberg Graphic
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