"Galloping Gertie"

"Slender, elegant and graceful, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge stretched like a steel ribbon across Puget Sound in 1940. The third longest suspension span in the world opened on July 1st. Only four months later, the great span's short life ended in disaster. "Galloping Gertie," collapsed in a windstorm on November 7,1940. 
The bridge became famous as "the most dramatic failure in bridge engineering history." Now, it's also "one of the world's largest man-made reefs." The sunken remains of Galloping Gertie were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 to protect her from salvagers. 
A dramatic tale of failure and success
The story of the failure of the 1940 Narrows Bridge and the success of the Current Narrows Bridge is a great American saga. When Galloping Gertie splashed into Puget Sound, it created ripple effects across the nation and around the world. The event changed forever how engineers design suspension bridges. Gertie's failure led to the safer suspension spans we use today." ~YouTube Video Caption


Faith can be shaken when the Gale winds of life come to test our suspension. I think like Ole Galloping Gertie we have all experienced a storm that broke us. For some it was complete destruction and that always feels like failure. But is it? Is it failure when we experience brokenness because of the storms of life? 


"Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently" ~unknown

This quote I came across has stuck with me through the years. I can't remember ever seeing my perceived "Gerties" as the learning ground for the future bridges God was wanting to build in my life. Galloping Gertie was perceived to be a failure the day it collapsed, but it's failure led to the future safety structures we depend on today.

I think the most astounding thing is that the bridge was rebuilt. Failure only lies in not getting back up to fight again. Some bridges in our lives can't withstand the storms of life, but that doesn't mean they are useless when they fail. God is in the life engineering business and doesn't want us depending on what is wavering and being prepared for brokenness, but on the only Constant we have in life... Christ!

Today, our "Great Faith Saga" is that what the enemy means for harm, God uses for good. Our Galloping Gerties may seem to be failures of epic proportions, But God is in the engineering business to build better bridges crossing the great divides in our lives. Don't be swayed by the promise of success or the perception of failure, but be prepared for the presence of peace from the One who can withstand the storm.