I would like to tell you the story of a man who had given much thought to what he wanted from life. After trying many things, succeeding at some and failing at others, he finally decided what he waned.
One day the opportunity came for him to experience exactly the way of living that he had dreamed about. But the opportunity would be available only for a short time. It would not wait, and it would not come again.
Eager to take advantage of this open pathway, the man started on his journey. With each step he moved faster and faster. Each time he thought about his goal, his heart beat quicker; and with each vision of what lay ahead he found renewed vigor.
As he hurried along he came to a bridge that crossed through the middle of a town. The bridge spanned high above a dangerous river.
After starting across the bridge, he noticed someone coming from the opposite direction. The stranger seemed to be coming toward to greet him. As the stranger grew closer the man knew that he did not recognize him. He did notice, however, that the stranger had a rope wrapped many times around his waste. And as he grew closer he began to unwind the rope until he was holding one end with the other tied around him.
"Pardon me, would you be so kind as to hold the end of the rope for me?"
The man agreed without a thought, and reached out and took it.
"Thank you," said the stranger. He then added, "two hands now, and remember to hold on tight." At that point, the stranger jumped off the bridge.
The man on the bridge abruptly felt a strong pull from the now extended rope. He automatically held tight and was almost dragged down over the side of the bridge.
"what are you trying to do?" he shouted to the stranger hanging below.
"Just hold tight," said the stranger.
This is ridiculous,the man thought. He began trying to haul the other man in. Yet it was just beyond his strength to bring the other back to safety.
"Why did you do this?" he yelled.
"Remember, if you let go I will be lost" said the other.
"But I cannot pull you up," the man cried.
"I am your responsibility," said the other.
"I did not ask for it," the man said.
"If you let go I am lost," repeated the stranger.
The man began to look for help, but no one was in sight. He looked for something to tie the rope off to, but there was nothing within reach.
So again he yelled, "What do you want?"
"Just your help," came the answer from below.
"How can I help? I cannot pull you up, nor can I tie you to something while I find help!"
"Just keep hanging on," replied the dangling man. "That will be enough."
Fearing that his strength would leave him he tied the rope around his own waste. life I let go, all of my life I will know that I let this other man die. If I stay, I risk losing my momentum toward my own long sought after salvation. Either way this will haunt me forever.
"Just remember," the man said, "my life is in your hands."
Finally he devised a plan. "Listen," he explained to the man hanging below, "I think I know how to save you." He mapped out the idea. The stranger could climb back up by wrapping the rope around him. Loop by loop the rope would become shorter.
But the hanging man had no interest in the idea.
"I don't think I can hang on much longer," warned the man on the bridge.
"You must try," appealed the stranger. "If you fail, I die."
Suddenly a new idea struck the man on the bridge. It was different and even alien to his normal way of thinking. "I want you to listen carefully," he said, "because I mean what I'm about to say."
"I will not accept the position of choice for your life, only for my own; I hereby give back the position of choice for your own life to you."
"What do you mean?" the hanging man asked afraid.
"I mean, simply, it's up to you. You decide which way this ends. I will become the counterweight. You do the pulling and bring yourself up. I will even tug a little from here."
He waited for the dangling man to act.
"You cannot mean what you say," the other shrieked. "You would not be so selfish. I am your responsibility. What could be so important that you would let someone die? DO not do this to me!"
After a long pause, the man on the bridge at last uttered slowly, "I accept your choice." In voicing these words he freed his hands and continued his journey over the bridge.

Isn't that how most Christian's in ministry function? You see your role as that of pulling up people who have fallen (or jumped) off a bridge. Eventually when you're deep into ministry you find that you've sacrificing everything to hold onto as many ropes as you can. You've spent your life and family saving others who would not make the effort to save themselves. Sadly the few that you were strong enough to pull up on your own were discovered to have jumped off the very next bridge that they approached.