I have liked covered bridges ever since I went to college in southern Indiana, where there are quite a few.  Parke County, Indiana has 31, the most of any county in the U.S.  My wife likes them also, and we have seen many of them on trips to Indiana and Vermont.  One of my favorites from college days is the Bridgeton bridge pictured below.  Most historical bridges were built in the last half of the nineteenth century, and we lose some of them every year.  Wind and floods have destroyed some, but today the biggest danger is alcohol in the form of drunken arsonists.  We try to support their preservation by being members of the Indiana Covered Bridge Society.

            Covered bridges vary in design, but almost all are charmingly attractive.  This is helped by the fact that they are usually in beautiful natural settings.  Often the bridge and the setting create an image that is better than either alone.  The pleasure is not only visual; the long, confined structure creates a “singing in the shower” type sound.  The clip-clopping of horses must have sounded great, but even driving a car through one with the windows down is a treat.  There is also a romantic appeal; the movie The Bridges of Madison County starring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood was a love story, not only between the principals, but also with the bridges.  I’ve been told that in the old days many young men would train their horses to always stop in the middle of the bridges.

            Many people believe that the covered bridges were designed for aesthetic reasons, but like for many of our most beautiful structures, architect Louis Sullivan’s dictum “form follows function” applies.  The underlying bridges were made out of wood, and if exposed to the elements, they would have short lifetimes.  The purpose of the covering was to protect the bridge structure, and it worked well at only minimal additional cost.  There are covered bridges in China that have stood for many centuries.

            During our Christian journey we often feel vulnerable to the elements that besiege us and are in need of a protector.  Fortunately, we have one.  In Luke 13:34 we find a feminine, wonderfully protective image of God as a mother hen who gathers her chicks under her wings.  Many of the Psalms speak of God’s protection using some of the most beautiful language of the Bible; I can’t help but thinking of them as being the covered bridges of the Bible.  Some good ones are Psalms 121, 32, 57, and the always soothing 23.  One of the most comforting ones is Psalm 46; please read it and remember:  God loves YOU unconditionally.

Jim