In chapter 20 of The Bridge from OneDayBow, Tim left his house feeling pretty discouraged. His Dad and Mom were clearly not open to considering the King – yet.  Tim had crossed the Bridge and knew the Truth, and he had an urgency to share it. Unfortunately, they weren’t ready to listen. But rather than just giving up, Tim determined to look up and ahead. Who knows, perhaps the opposition of the morning would lead to a better awareness of the opportunity ahead of him that day in the park.

The town had been invited to come for food and fun.

The park was getting crowded, and it was only one!

The People of the Book were there putting on a show.

Tim was asked to share the Truth with all who’d want to know.

Tim was mentally prepared for the opportunity to share the Truth but was he ready for the opposition? The initial opposition came mainly from people that knew him before he crossed the Bridge. Let’s pick up the scene on page 89:

Many [people] were unfamiliar, but some of them he knew

Noticed he had no bobbles, and asked, “What’s up with you?

You haven’t been at contests, and you weren’t at the Fair.

Word is spreading around town that you no longer care.”

The upside to this is that people noticed Tim had changed. The downside is that they apparently didn’t like the change. You might even say they were opposed to the “new Tim”. Nobody  likes to be seen as an odd-ball, but all things considered I see it as a positive thing that they noticed the difference! Tim was living according to the Truth he now knew, and his actions reflected it.  

So yes, opposition was encountered, but also present was the opportunity to proclaim the Truth. And that is exactly what Tim did:

“If you want to know the Truth, then go out past the ridge.

You will see your only hope is found across the Bridge!”

I have to admire Tim’s boldness to take the opportunity head on! But what was the response? Before I say that the response was mixed, some staying and some leaving, I have to interject that the response was not the decisive factor in Tim’s motivation. The motivation came from the message of the King. Tim was there to advance the Kingdom and a positive response wasn’t up to Tim, but his faithfulness was.

Before I go further, I bet some have jumped ahead in the story and know that the New Age, post-modern, philosophy-driven woman (with the really nice purse) rattled Tim pretty badly. Not that he backed down, but he definitely stalled awhile in moving forward!

Tim was  getting tired of not getting anywhere.

Inside he thought, Why bother? None of them even care!

But increased opposition may be the very thing that brings greater opportunity! Tim couldn’t give up now, and thankfully he didn’t. But what did he do? He remembered what this was all about – the Truth. The Book declared it, the belt reminded him, and prayer sealed the deal. Tim was about to go big, not go home!

So what about you? What do you mean, What about me? Well, I have to confess that I would like to be more like Tim. Some may be thinking that because I wrote the book that I must be Tim. Not quite. I’m much better at coming up with answers and dialogue while sitting at my computer than on my feet in the moment. I’ve been sidelined by opposition to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and at times have totally missed opportunities – especially those that come in disguise. I guess the lesson for me is to not let the situation determine my position. If the Lord, by His Spirit, prompts me to speak about Him; just do it. Boldly, humbly, faithfully.

I’m going to guess that most of us would say that we need a little more personal grit along with persistent grace. Just because it doesn’t appear that someone is listening, or caring, doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t. And we will see that next time as the opposition increases and the opportunity seems to be ending, until…