Burning Bridges.

Photo.

'Truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had the opportunity to have returned'. - Hebrews 11:15

I'm currently leading a bible study called 'No Other gods' by Kelly Minter (a christian singer out of Nashville, TN). And as I consider what it looks like in my own life to destroy the idols I've made along my journey, the things I have given places of honor to in my life, I realize that sometimes in life - you have to burn bridges.

We're a culture that shutters at the idea of stepping outside of political correctness and we shy away from hurting anyone's feelings or drawing lines in the sand. No black and white, only gray. We don't write people off, we don't burn bridges. Everything is left open-ended, even things we know brought us down, hurt us, or held us back from reaching our goals. Why is that?

As I've thought about some of the idols I've built - the desire for acceptance from others and achieving success being two - I realize that a bonfire of bridges isn't always a bad idea. When I look back on my life and the unwise decisions I made before I brought my faith to the forefront, I realize that if I leave those bridges unburned, there will always be the option to go back. Back to unhealthy relationships and expectations, back to people pleasing at the Lord's expense, back back back to a time in my life when my priorities were out of whack.

I desire with every fiber of my being to let the past be the past. To bask in the forgiveness that the Lord has offers us and to never return to darker places where the shallow things of this world reigned supreme in my fragile existence. So why leave bridges unburned?

I raise my diet coke in a toast, to lighting a match and watching the bridge to your past go up in flames. I'm telling you it's not only ok to burn some bridges, it's essential! When you cross out of a bad place and you find hope, burn that sucker so you can't go back, and your past can't follow you to your new home. Not looking back is a biblical theme we see over and over. Don't leave yourself the option of returning to that place...head for the promised land.

Love,
B