Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Why, you wonder, is my life so stressful? You yearn for peace and calm, yet the turmoil continues like churning waters in a storm. You wonder if you will ever be able to be truly happy. Like the famous song, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, you wish you could cross over to the other side and leave everything behind you. There is hope because there is a way.

The truth is, in this world we will have trouble – all of us. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jesus) Jesus promises us peace and gives us strength to go through all our troubled waters if we sincerely follow him. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

(Philippians 4:7) Yes, there is also even joy no matter what is happening in your life. If you don’t already know this, it can be hard to believe. But, it is true.

We don’t like to think about it, but our days on earth are numbered. We will all eventually die. We will also all live eternally either in Heaven’s paradise or in complete misery; another thought we try not to think about. A lot of people either believe or hope that dying is the end of everything. But what if it isn’t? Wouldn’t you rather be safe than sorry? Listening to God through his written word and believing what is written there will lead us to Heaven. This is why we can have joy no matter how challenging our life is here in the present. We can rest assured that all is well. This is the wonderful hope Christians have. Just think how exciting it is to know that we can live again in a place more beautiful than we can ever imagine, in a place where there will never be another troubled thought.

Bad things happen to good people. We all know this, but you have probably asked yourself why, why me? I am a good person and I don’t deserve this. You probably don’t. As true as that might be, it is a world filled with evil that causes it. But remember, Jesus said he has overcome the world. What does that mean and how can it help you?

Wrongdoing cannot go unpunished. The Bible calls this sin, and no matter how good we are and how hard we try to live good lives, we all slip up and sin. Big misdeeds or small ones are all still the same; wrong. We are loved so much by our creator, God, that he has given us a way out from the justice we deserve. Yet, because God is indeed just, the guilty have to be punished. Jesus took all of our sins upon himself and died on the cross for us. He paid the price for each of us so we don’t have to. If we believe in him and follow him, we are guilt free because he loved us enough to do this for us. Here is where the joy comes in in the midst of all your troubles. No matter what happens in this life, we have a bridge from here to Heaven, from turmoil to peace, because of him. And when we do die, we will cross over it into eternal happiness, peace and love. There will never again be any problems, heartache or sorrow! So, as we look forward to the future, even in this life, we have great hope because we have this wonderful guarantee.

If you are searching for this peace, consider reaching out to someone who is a Christian. Here is a poem about the struggles of life, but with someone by your side helping you to reach your goal – the heights of all heights – Heaven.

Travel Through Life With Me

There’s a mountain to climb

It’s a long way up,

There are ditches and holes,

There’s a cavern, a rut.

From down at the bottom

It’s long and it’s steep,

There’ll be days to slide backward

And days that you’ll weep.

But hold on to my hand

And together we’ll go,

Walking steadily upward,

Gaining ground, moving slow.

Soon we’ll be singing

And happy we’ll be,

The mountain’s less dangerous

When you’re there with me.

When we reach the top

There’ll be no stormy weather,

We took the right path

And we found it together.

Author: Lorrie Thompson