Imagine a great chasm—a wide and bottomless valley stretching endlessly between two cliffs. You stand on one side. Eternal union with God waits on the other. Between the two yawns a gulf so deep and vast that no amount of strength, no moral achievement, no lifetime of good deeds could ever span it.

This is the reality of the human condition. For “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Even the most righteous among us cannot reach the other side on their own. The one with the best behavior and the one with the worst behavior both fall equally short. The chasm is not crossed by merit, effort, or intention. It is crossed only by grace.

Grace is the unmerited favor of God—the divine gift we cannot earn and do not deserve. It is by grace that the bridge is extended. It is by faith that the bridge is received. It is by cooperation that the bridge is crossed.

Faith, then, is the key that lays the first plank of the bridge. Faithfulness is the walk across it. But understand—faithfulness is not powered by human will alone. It is made possible only by the grace of the Holy Spirit working within you. As it’s been said, “God provides the wind, but man must raise the sail” (St. Augustine). The moment you choose to walk in God’s will, you open the sails of your soul and invite the wind of grace to carry you forward.

To pursue the will of God is to step out onto the bridge in trust, allowing grace to guide every step. But to pursue the will of self—to turn back toward the desires of the flesh, the pride of life, or the lure of the world—is to walk away from grace and into the shadows of separation.

It is said, “Our worst days are never so bad that we are beyond the reach of God's grace. And our best days are never so good that we are beyond the need of God's grace... The grace of God is unearned and unearnable, but if we ever expect to grow in grace, we must pay the price of a consciously chosen course of action” (Jerry Bridges).

That course of action is this: to make God’s will your will—seeking to glorify Him in all you do by pursuing a virtuous life. For it is in this lifelong pursuit that grace flows more freely, more fully. Not because you earn it—but because you learn to receive it.

The more you walk in virtue, the more your soul is strengthened to carry grace. The more you align your life with God’s truth, the more your desires are purified, your passions ordered, your will conformed. Grace does not grow by your effort, but your effort makes room for grace to grow.

So walk the bridge of grace by faith—step by step, day by day. When you stumble, rise again. When you doubt, pray again. When you grow weary, rest in Him. You are not called to sprint across it in your own strength, but to walk faithfully, trusting the Spirit to uphold you, renew you, and carry you forward.

For the grace of God is not just the narrow bridge you cross. It is the wind beneath your feet. It is the light that guides your way. It is the love that draws you home.