A bridge – or ramp, in this case – has three basic elements: the starting point, the peak, and the end.

I watched my nephews one afternoon as they tried again and again to jump their bikes over a make-shift ramp in the backyard. The older one feared the ramp, and just as he would reach the peak, he chose a safer route, jumping off right at the point where he felt the ramp was too high. Despite his obvious preference to stay in his own comfort zone, he kept trying.

My younger nephew also saw the excitement and challenge in the ramp. With each attempt, he would make it past the starting point only to get stuck and fall right as he reached the peak. I watched as he climbed back on his bike, refocused his concentration on the ramp, and tried again.

With each fall, each scrape, each bruise, they both had an innate sense of determination to make it over that ramp. And they smiled every time they got back on their bikes.

Isn’t it amazing when you can realize God’s message to you, even if it is through another? How many times do we fail at crossing our own ramps? Do we find the strength to get back up and try again, or are we content to accept defeat?

Life, like a ramp, can take us to a higher level. All you need is determination and trust. With that, God will help you over any ramp, and give you the power to amaze even yourself.