How The Bridge Came Tumbling Down…

On August 1 the unthinkable occurred. The eight-lane I-35w Bridge over the Mississippi river in Minneapolis, Minnesota collapsed during rush hour. The fallen bridge plunged six stories (60 feet) into the Mississippi taking many vehicles with it and claiming 13 people’s lives, while injuring many others.

As folks watched this horrific event on the evening news the question was asked repeatedly, “How could this happen?” “How does a commuter bridge which is regularly inspected come down in one dramatic fall?” The newspaper reporters and magazine columnists pondered the same questions. I think you and I should do the same. We have many forms of bridges in our lives and ministry, and they serve a very important purpose.

Any “bridge” spans the gap between two or more things and connects them. Bridges create relationships and maintain them because they physically connect people through the endeavors of life and are a conduit for the free flow of information. A strong relationship between two people or groups of people will have a large and strong bridge connecting them equal to the open and honest investment they have made in each other and their connection (bridge). However, what is true of physical bridges is also true of relational bridges. Regardless of the size and strength of a bridge (connection) between people, without proper maintenance, the bridge will eventually come tumbling down.

Therefore, why did our bridge in question fall? The cause may be much more subtle than you might think… For instance, consider the cause of major bridges that fell in the past. The Mianus River Bridge in Connecticut (three dead in 1983) was triggered by metal fatigue in a single steel pin: when it finally failed, the loss of support transferred excess stress on other parts, which couldn't handle it, causing them to fail in turn and the bridge to fall. Then, the Silver Bridge, spanning the Ohio River between Ohio and West Virginia (46 dead in 1967) was ultimately traced, again, to a single piece of metal, which had been forged with a tiny, unnoticed crack that weakened further with corrosion. Both bridges had small flaws, cracks, wounds that when left unfixed over time brought the whole bridge down!

The contributing causes to the I-35w bridge collapse are still under investigation. Nevertheless, investigators feel that “Pigeon dung” is one of the many smaller factors working together, over time, which may have brought the mighty span down. In a Time magazine article experts claimed the corrosive guano deposited all over the span's framework helped the steel beams rust faster. Pigeon droppings contain ammonia and acids, said chemist Neal Langerman, an officer with the health and safety division of the American Chemical Society. If the dung is not washed away, it dries out and turns into a concentrated salt. When water gets in and combines with the salt and ammonia, it creates small electrochemical reactions that rust the steel underneath. "Every time you get a little bit of moisture there, you wind up having a little bit of electrochemistry occurring and you wind up with corrosion," said Langerman. "Over a long term, it might in fact cause structural weaknesses." (St.Paul, Minn.) Pounded and strained by heavy traffic and weakened by missing bolts and cracking steel, the failed Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River also faced a less obvious enemy: pigeons. (Time Magazine)

Apparently, the bridge fell in about 4 seconds! How quickly a solid connection can be gone! Relationships are fragile as are the bridges that make the relationship. The parallels between the failure of these physical bridges and the potential failures of our relational bridges should be obvious. It is the “little flaws” that we allow to eat at us and the erosive properties of the “garbage” we let build up that ultimately destroys a relationship. And at the same time, it is us who decide to let little things separate us. If we would just handle our little irritations God’s way, by exercising patience (Prov 19:11), overlooking an offense whenever possible (Prov. 19:11 & 17:9), not letting the sun go down on our anger before attempting to resolve our issues (Eph. 4:26-27), using God’s guideline for resolving conflict (Matt. 18:15-22), speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), relying on the fruit of the Spirit to help us relate to people who are different than us (Gal. 5:22), and offering forgiveness “7 times 70” (Matt. 18:21-22) - we would maintain strong connections, experience secure relationships, and overcome the little things.

Obviously, it takes two to have a relationship. If one party in a relationship wants to sever the connection there is not much the other party can do. Yet, let us make sure to do all we can to maintain the relationship – all we can to live at peace with the other person as far as it depends on us.

In closing, we sometimes forget that many people depend upon the health and maintenance of a single relationship. How many people depend upon the strength of the bonds between a husband and wife? How important is the connection between a teacher and student or a coach and athlete to the passing of information and the development of skills? How many people are affected, in the immediate and eternally, when a spiritual or ministry leader lets garbage erode their connection with God and they fall? A school bus filled with more than 50 children who were returning from a summer field trip was among the vehicles on the bridge when it collapsed. There is always collateral damage when a relational bridge deteriorates and collapses.

Lord bless your bridges,

Pastor Kelley