Light At The End Of The Tunnel

         

            I remember some years ago we had a really good snow here in our area and it was wonderful to go out into the sunshine after the storm to enjoy it!  My son was helping us dig out and got creative and dug a tunnel through the snow.  The little ones completely enjoyed it!

            Depending on where we are in the country we can drive through tunnels that are dug through mountains.  They are usually well lit, yet drivers are required to put their headlights on to assure safety.  There are people who are intimidated by tunnels, much like others are afraid of climbing heights or crossing a bridge, especially one that’s lengthy.  

            I’m not afraid of a tunnel, yet I find myself looking, with an element of excitement to see the “light at the end of the tunnel.”  There is something exhilarating and refreshing about seeing the sunshine peeking through.   

The circumstances, trials and tribulations in our lives, sometimes leave us feeling like we are deep within a tunnel yet unable to see the light.  We keep clawing and struggling through our situation and all we can see is darkness.  We are fearful and worried about the outcome, especially if there seems to be no light to work toward. 

God uses “tunnels” in our lives to mold us into the persons we are supposed to be, that will complete his purpose in our lives.  Sometimes it’s so hard to see the light and we crouch down in fear.  We forget that all we need to do is call out to God for help.  He will provide the glow that can keep us moving toward the light.

I have a friend who has a family relationship which looks like a long, dark tunnel.  There seems to be no ray of sunshine that would indicate they are near a resolution.  She has no idea how it will all turn out.  At this point, she concedes it’s totally out of her hands.  I haven’t a clue how God will use this in my friend’s life, but there must be some reason the tunnel is there, and why she must endure it.  

            I wonder if the workers who dug “Hezekiah’s Tunnel” wondered if they would ever see the light.  Digging a tunnel is no easy feat.  In Biblical times, given their means for digging and moving the earth; it was quite a trial.   Yet 2 Chronicles and 2 Kings describe a tunnel (known Hezekiah’s Tunnel) that was built under the city of Jerusalem, that was an engineering masterpiece!  When a person considers what the workers must have endured during this time, it’s quite remarkable.  

            When I see the light at the end of the tunnel we are driving through, it must be something near what those workers must have felt all those years ago. There was a reason the tunnel was dug. It supplied water from the Gihon Spring to the city of Jerusalem and depending on the time of year, provided a means for people to go from the Pool of Siloam into Jerusalem.  It was also a hiding place during the destruction of Jerusalem.

            Tunnels can be a place of fear, a place of hiding; but they can also be a place of journey toward the light.  How do you view tunnels?  Are they a place you like to be or, not so much?

We Are His Witnesses

         Jesus’ disciples were each unique.  They each possessed qualities that made them strong and weak.  One was recognized as a leader, others impetuous, practical, or “stormy.”   There was a doubter, and one even included a betrayer. They were human, just as we. Yet Jesus drew these men to him and used all these characteristics to spread his message.

            He taught them about Himself, the Father and the Kingdom that was to come.  He told them the time would come when they would receive the Spirit and they would be his witnesses.  As followers, they “witnessed” because they supported all Jesus did.  This, however, would not be enough.  Jesus would leave them in body and they would need a higher power for encouragement and direction at a time when many who knew him thought they had lost him to death.  

            After Jesus’ resurrection, they weren’t sure they knew Jesus at all.  They had watched him die and that wasn’t part of the plan. How could they follow a man who was no longer with them?  Yet He had prepared them.  It would take some time for them to recognize it, but they would see it, loud and clear. 

            On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came.  The disciples were prepared, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to preach the Word and minister and witness to thousands of people who were there.  

            Their dedication and devotion to Christ’s teaching put them in all kinds of perilous situations. They chose to suffer for the cause of The Messiah.  They taught about the Kingdom and just as Jesus had done, and even used the symbolic pearl to teach about the Church and salvation.  The pearl, like salvation is produced through a living being.  

            Through discomfort and irritation, a grain of sand within the oyster grows into a beautiful pearl. Jesus suffered pain and hurt all the way to the cross. The disciples endured hardships and many were martyred for the sake of Jesus.   Yet God’s purpose through the turmoil and pressures endured by both Christ and the disciples produced a process that demonstrates the work God does and plans in our life.

            With the same Spirit Jesus gave his disciples and all those that believed when the first churches were beginning, he gives us today when we accept him as our Savior.  This same Spirit encourages and directs us if we allow him.  This is the key.  The Spirit is within us; it is up to us to open our minds and hearts to his voice.  When we do, we become like the first disciples and can spread his message to the “ends of the earth.”

            I encourage you to think about your trials and tribulations.  Can you relate to the idea of the formation of the pearl which becomes valuable in spite of how it was formed?  Can you see how God can use your specific painful circumstances to mold you into a unique servant for the Kingdom?  Perhaps a closer look will lead you into service in ways you hadn’t yet thought about!

Image from:  https://www.dreamstime.com/pearl-necklace-pink-satin-fabric-pearl-necklace-image122739171 

Let Your Light Shine

            I have a friend who is a self-proclaimed “eternal pessimist.”   She growls at the world through dark glasses.  She grumbles, murmurs and chooses to look at people through the darkest part of the tunnel, certain she’s destined to be required energy she does not have, kindness she does not feel, display warmth when all she feels is cold, and positivity when all she can muster is negativity.  This is such a sad place to be.  What energy this perspective must require!  I can’t even imagine!

            Our world has become a ‘crooked and twisted’ place.  People are consumed with ‘self,’ greed, hate, deception, cruelty and so much negativity it’s difficult some days to see anything good!  As much as I’d like to stay ‘informed’ of the “goings on” around our world, or in our country, state, or even my community, I often choose to not read the news.  

            I was reading a book the other day that called news “gossip.”  I nearly flinched at the idea!  How could that be?  But often when news is reported it’s usually the dark side of a situation, and that makes sense in a perverted kind of way.  Most people are more interested in who kills who, who said what negative thing about another, how a storm wrecked havoc on an area, etc.  Granted knowing sometimes is helpful because in the case of storm damage, fire or other ‘emergency’ we can help.   But how many times have you been drawn to something awful because it’s just that: awful!?”

            The movies and video games much of the population is drawn to are horror, or at the very least, violent.  We’ve created ‘super-heroes’ to thwart the bad guy.  It’s a dark and scary place!

            Christ came to be the “Light of the World.”  As Believers in Christ, we are to be the beacon of that Light, even if it seems like we stand alone as a single candle.  Think about the time the electric goes out during a storm and you must light the room with a candle.  It’s amazing how much light radiates through that one candle.  The more candles, the more light.

            Satan can’t thrive in the reflection of this light. Yet, satan is thriving in our world. Darkness reigns.  Isn’t that a clue that as Believers we are not doing enough?  Are we so caught up in the world around us, perhaps not even deliberately, that our light is so tiny, it’s barely a spark, sputtering, fighting desperately to stay lit at all? 

            It takes effort to be the ‘light’ that illuminates a room.  The wind blows, trying with all it’s might to snuff out the light.  It requires time with The Father, Son and Holy Spirit that will keep your candle light, lit that can shine even when the wind howls and darkness threatens to overtake.  

            I encourage you to dig deep into the scriptures this week.  Ask yourself “how bright is my candle – my light?" Do others see me as someone who reflects the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, or do they see darkness and negativity?