These days work schedules are usually long and hectic for an average worker. It actually implies various lifestyle issues and changes combined with other interests which are often seen as major hindrances, and which could affect the best allocation of a parent’s time and resources to their children and their inward beliefs. Children of alcoholics, orphans who never have parents around, dislocated childhood, health issues – these are all difficult circumstances to overcome.
One day a man took his young son to his new workplace so he could see what his father did for a living. He had taken on a new job of operating a drawbridge over a river. The two of them started conversations and were engrossed in their discussions. The man looked at his watch and saw the 2:00 PM train from Tennessee was due to arrive. He was about to pull the lever when he suddenly saw something which shocked and terrified him.
His son was wandering a winding path and all of a sudden became caught in the gears that lowered the bridge. In every possibility, there was a chance to rescue, but since the train was too close, there was no way that he could stop the derailment of the bridge if it didn’t go down right then. He couldn’t stop crying as he lowered the bridge and crushed his boy.
Engulfed with tears the man watched as scores of passengers went safely over the bridge. Little did they know what actually happened and the sacrifice the father made to save their lives. Pain and trials are a certainty of life. We will all be broken and wounded at some point. There will be things we go through in life, hardships we experience, difficulties we must face, that will not have a convenient answer.
There will be some unanswered questions. Our culture has no shortage of worldly voices and pressures that fill minds and influence behaviour. We fear terrorist attacks and cancer. We fear losing a child and the death of a spouse. We fear financial loss and relational ruin. Someone dies too young, or the everyday demands of a fast-paced life get us down, we sometimes feel the ground shaking beneath our feet. This story is heartbreaking to think about—and a stark reminder that the darkness we push against is very real.