Build a Bridge, Not an Escape Route
It’s tempting to take the easy way out when relationships get hard. Whether it's a misunderstanding, betrayal, or simply a clash in personalities, we often find ourselves building escape routes—ways to distance, avoid, or ignore the discomfort. We pull away from the pain instead of leaning in with curiosity and compassion.
But what if, instead of building walls or finding exits, we chose to build bridges?
The Easy Way Out: Escape Routes
Escape routes are all too familiar. They show up as:
Silent treatments
Avoiding hard conversations
Cutting people off emotionally or physically
Leaving things unresolved
These may provide temporary relief, but they also allow disconnection to grow.
The longer we let pain fester, the harder it becomes to return and make amends.
The Courageous Choice: Building Bridges
Building a bridge means choosing empathy over avoidance. It means:
Seeking to understand the other person’s pain
Getting curious about what’s behind their actions
Being willing to connect, even when it feels uncomfortable
This doesn’t mean excusing poor behavior or enabling toxicity. It means looking at the human behind the hurt and meeting them on the common ground of pain—because pain is something we all understand.
When you take the time to understand someone else’s story, you often discover shared experiences, wounds, and truths. You realize they’re not so different from you after all.
A Real-World Challenge
Relationships like those with in-laws, exes, or stepchildren can be especially complicated. But if your heart truly desires connection, then building a bridge is the only path forward. It won’t be easy. It will require honesty, humility, and sometimes forgiveness—but the reward is real: connection instead of separation, healing instead of resentment.
✨ 3 Action Steps to Start Building Your Bridge
1. Pause and Reflect: Ask yourself—am I building a bridge or an escape route in this situation? Be honest.
2. Seek Understanding: Have one intentional conversation where your goal is only to listen and learn about the other person’s perspective.
3. Lead with Compassion: Remind yourself that everyone carries pain. Approaching them with compassion—even when it’s hard—starts the process of connection.
