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Carbon Copy

Carbon Copy

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Carbon copy--bridge reflected in water behind broken, twisted treesYoung people probably have no experience making a carbon copy. During typewriter days, we placed carbon paper between two blank sheets of paper. We then rolled all three into the typewriter. What we typed on the top sheet copied to the bottom.

Carbon paper made great copies. However, it could also make great messes. If we were not careful, we would:

  • Get ink on us and anything else it touched
  • Smear our copies, which made them hard to read

A carbon copy is an exact duplicate.

Its details are precise. It:

  • Looks the same
  • Matches perfectly
  • Reflects every feature

Like the bridge behind the tangled trees above, it is a spitting image. It remains faithful to the original in every way. If we see the copy, we understand the original.

We decide what we reflect.

Who or what influences us? Who or what do we influence? As with most of life, we choose. We then face the music – we live with the consequences of our choices.

We don’t always reflect perfectly.

Carbon paper smears. Water moves. When that happens, reflections wave. Images change.

Life gets messy. Like tangled trees, things get in our way. Yet, we keep trying. We keep working to reflect the best. In so doing, we improve.

“We can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18 TLB).

Thanks to Laurel Blevins and Karen Hart for the suggestion.

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Cross a Bridge When We Come to It

Cross a Bridge When We Come to It

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Cross a Bridge When We Come to It-covered bridge Everyone knows we cross a bridge when we come to it.

  • Not before we come to it.
  • Not after we come to it.

We cross only when we come to it.

We understand that about physical bridges. We often forget that truth in our personal lives.

We cross a bridge when we come to it by dealing with life as it happens.

We don’t worry about something before it happens.

  • If it never happens, we worried for nothing.
  • If it does happen, worry did not stop it.

 Instead, we handle each moment as it comes. We plan and prepare, but we don’t worry. We don’t borrow trouble or tie ourselves in knots.

Cross a Bridge When We Come to It-church framed by bridgePrayer prepares us to cross a bridge when we come to it.

Rather than becoming a worry wart, we ask God to lead us. The Goddard Covered Bridge in Fleming County, Kentucky, shows that well. When we look beside the bridge or through it, we see a small country church. That church, like so many others, reminds us to trust God.

“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27 NIV)

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Water under the Bridge

Water under the Bridge

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Water under the BridgeSome of my favorite childhood memories took place under this old swinging bridge. My sister, cousins, and I waded in the water under the bridge. I learned to swim in the water on the other side of the bridge.

We loved to walk across that bridge. It swayed and bounced like an amusement park ride. It scared me silly, but I always wanted to cross it again … and again … and again.

As I walked across the bridge, I looked down at the water. I didn’t think much about it then, but the water under the bridge kept changing. It flowed down the creek, replaced by new water. That constant movement kept the water fresh and safe.

When anything is water under the bridge,  it has already happened.

It’s over and cannot be changed. Like water that has traveled under a bridge, that experience is past.

In spite of that, we often hang on to the past, not letting it go. We fail to let bygones be bygones. In the process, we make ourselves miserable.

Rather than living in the past, let’s realize the past is water under the bridge.

  • We can remember it.
  • We can learn from it.
  • But we must not dwell on it.

Live in the present. Look forward to the future.

“He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water” (Isaiah 49:10 NIV).

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