Gospel Moment: “We’re Here to Love You”
- Rex Ballard
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
A man stood on the edge of Nashville’s Victory Memorial Bridge above the Cumberland River, livestreaming what he intended to be his final moments. Officers arrived. Traffic stopped. The situation was tense and fragile.
Lieutenant Mike Hotz, a combat veteran and crisis negotiator, did not rush the man with commands or force. He simply approached and said, “Hey man, my name’s Mike… Can I just holler at you?”
What followed was not a high-pressure negotiation. It was a conversation. Hotz listened. He acknowledged the man’s pain: “I just want to help you talk through this… this worst day of your life. And I know it is.” Drawing from his own experience as a veteran who had seen brothers in arms battle the same darkness, Hotz stayed present. The man cried in frustration. Trust slowly formed.
Eventually Hotz offered his hand and made a simple promise. The man stepped away from the edge. A handshake became a hug. Hotz told him the words that cut through the despair: “I love you. It’s going to be all right… We’re here to love you, bro. We’re here to love you.”
After the man was safe with counselors, Hotz stepped aside, prayed a short prayer, and thanked God for placing him in the right place at the right time.
That moment is more than a good news story. It is a living picture of the Gospel.
Scripture tells us the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). Jesus Himself declared that He came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). And He gave His followers a clear command: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
Love is not a feeling we wait to feel. It is a decision to show up, to listen, to speak truth wrapped in compassion, and sometimes to simply say the words another soul desperately needs to hear: “You are loved. It’s going to be all right.”
Lt. Hotz was in the right place because God is still in the business of divine appointments. The same God who positioned him on that bridge positions ordinary people—neighbors, coworkers, family members, church members—in the path of the hurting every day. Most of those moments will never make the news. But they still matter eternally.
In a culture that often chooses distance, judgment, or silence when someone is drowning, the call of Christ is different. We are to be the ones who move toward the edge rather than away from it. We are to offer presence instead of platitudes. We are to speak the love of God into the darkest places, trusting that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead can bring life where there seems to be none.
This is your Gospel Moment.
Someone near you may be standing on their own bridge today—emotionally, spiritually, or relationally. Will you be the one who slows down, listens, and says, in word and deed, “We’re here to love you”?
Heavenly Father, thank You for every life You still choose to rescue. Thank You for placing Your people in the right place at the right time. Give us eyes to see the brokenhearted around us, courage to move toward them, and words that reflect Your love. Use even our imperfect presence to point others to the One who loved us first and who still says, “I love you. It’s going to be all right.” In the strong name of Jesus, Amen.
You are loved. You are not alone. And the God who sees every bridge is still in the business of bringing people safely home.
Stay rooted in His Word. Keep showing up with love.
