I have burnt bridges in my life.
I will let that sink in for a while.
There have been occasions when I have experienced relatively decent opportunities but due to selfishness, pride and immaturity I have walked out of those opportunities in a negative and antagonistic way. People who treated me well, had their kindness shoved back in their faces with an attitude of ingratitude which makes me truly ashamed. In a situation that made it all the more worse, there was a brilliant gentleman who helped me out in a really challenging time of my life. My response to that was to leave him in the lurch when I was supposed to be a support. I recently discovered the gentleman died a few years ago.
I mentioned in an earlier post this month, that I am of the impression that whatever happens in this next step, I want to be more about building bridges, rather than burning them.
Whenever I read Paul’s recommendation in Romans 12 to live at peace with all as much as its possible, I read of a genuine effort not to allow people’s antagonism to be an excuse from doing the right thing and being an ambassador of the goodness, grace and mercy of God. Even when it comes to coming to the end of something it is just as much an opportunity for peacemaking than anything.
I have been in a few jobs where the end has been messy. Messy because as I know I’m about to finish the job there is little in the way of motivation to actually do anything. That dreaded sense that you won’t be around to see the end of anything you start, that feeling that there’s little point in doing anything than clearing everything up. It is not a pleasant feeling.
So what I am endeavouring to do whether at the beginning or the end is to do what it takes to finish well in building bridges rather than burning them. Finishing with a bang and leaving people with positive memories of our time together.
That does not apply just to finishing things off though, as I hope to explain in future blog entries.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
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