By DANNY MINTON

An old man going a lone highway,

Came, at the evening cold and gray,

To a chasm vast and deep and wide.

Through which was flowing a sullen tide

The old man crossed in the twilight dim,

The sullen stream had no fear for him;

But he turned when safe on the other side

And built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,

“You are wasting your strength with building here;

Your journey will end with the ending day,

You never again will pass this way;

You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide,

Why build this bridge at evening tide?”

The builder lifted his old gray head;

“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,

“There followed after me to-day

A youth whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm that has been as naught to me

To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;

Good friend, I am building this bridge for him!”

(The Bridge Builder by Will Allen Dromgoole)

I first found this little poem in a Bible correspondence course when I was a teenager. Something about the old man in the poem stood out in contrast to the fellow traveler. The old man stopped to build a bridge without being asked. He didn’t build it for money or recognition. There was no ulterior motive or the desire to impress the man traveling near. Out of the goodness of his heart, he thought about the young man who would cross the same chasm as him. In his desire to help, he built the bridge. He expected nothing in return. His fellow traveler saw things differently. His concern was not about the old man or the youth that followed. His question was, “Why?” Why would someone stop and spend the time to do something that did not affect their life, present, or future? His actions seemed foolish and unnecessary. If it had been him, he’d have continued on his journey without taking the time to build a bridge that he’d never need. 

Both men could likely be viewed as “good” men by their peers. However, in this scenario, the old man possesses something that goes beyond being a good person: goodness. We all know a lot of “good” people. They don’t lie, steal, or take advantage of the unfortunate. They volunteer their time and money when called upon. They are dependable and looked up to by each of us. We see their good work and respect them and what they do. However, the one characteristic that makes a good person stand out is to possess “goodness.”

“A little boy told a sales clerk he was shopping for a birthday gift for his mother and asked to see some cookie jars. At a counter displaying a large selection, the youngster carefully lifted and replaced each lid. His face fell as he came to the last one. “Aren’t there any covers that don’t make any noise?” he asked. Right motives should accompany the right actions. (Daily Bread, July 1, 1989)

Most people are good because they are expected to be good and know it’s the right way to live. True goodness shows up when we do things not because we are expected to do them but produced without giving them a second thought. It doesn’t matter if anyone sees what we do. No thought is given as to who will necessarily benefit from our actions. There is no ulterior motive, need for appreciation, who it’s for, or deciding whether to do it or not. Think about the story of the little boy buying the cookie jar. Purchasing the gift was good, but his motive also had a personal agenda. 

We can be a good person by doing what is right as seen by others. Goodness is shown when how we live a good life is seen by God. He sees us not only when we are around others but also when no one is looking. It is when no one is looking that the goodness of our heart shines before the Lord. Perhaps the verse that expresses these thoughts is in Matthew 25 when Jesus gives a scenario of the judgement. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” Matthew 25:34-40 (NASB)

Paul writes to the Thessalonian church, “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by His power He may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.”  2 Thessalonians 1:11 (NIV2011)  Our testament to being like Jesus is to let our goodness not to be done to be seen by men but to glorify God. The attributes of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness make up our bridge of goodness. By building this bridge, each person who travels through our lives will be blessed.

Danny Minton is a former Elder and minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ

Editor’s Note: Will Allen Dromgoole is a distant cousin of Glenn Dromgoole, former editor of the Abilene Reporter-News and author of numerous books. Dromgoole and his wife, Carol, own Texas Star Trading Company.