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There’s nothing quite as exhilarating as squeezing your body through a narrow sieve of limestone knowing there’s a hundred feet of solid rock just above your head.
Spelunkers, at least, love that challenge.
People with claustrophobia generally don’t have such a positive experience in “wild” caves.
Nor do those who cut corners on their preparation.
On a number of occasions, I’ve led groups of spelunkers into Wayne’s Cave, one of about 500 non-commercial caverns in southern Indiana. Wayne’s opens with a memorable crawlspace that is a quarter of a mile long. In many places it is no higher than 18 inches. It takes an hour to crawl that distance one way.
That is, as long as you keep moving.
I once got stuck between my belly and my back in one of the tighter squeezes of the Wayne’s crawlspace. While it only took about 10 minutes to shimmy free, I had the distinct impression that I was subtracting 10 years of emotional well-being from my life.
Beyond the crawlspace, there are extraordinary rooms to explore. But the fact remains that there’s no back door to Wayne’s Cave. There’s only one way in, which means there’s only one way out. Which means you have to save enough energy and resources for that hour-long exit crawl.
Some years ago I led a group of eight spelunkers into Wayne’s. For half a day we had marvelous adventures. But now it was time to head home.
We took a quick inventory and made a somewhat alarming discovery. Half of our flashlights had gone out. Half of those that were still working were dimming.
Some of us had gone to back-up lights, but most of the group had apparently assumed that everybody else would be lugging a back-up light, so they didn’t need to be burdened by carrying one.
It began to dawn on me that we might be in a bit of trouble.
I always thought it would be cool to be an illustration in somebody’s TED talk. I just didn’t want the title of the talk to be, “Dark Moments in Emergency Preparedness.”
We had a minimum of 60 minutes to crawl and to climb. We were exhausted. Our batteries were waning. Ultimately we had one working light at the front of our group, and one at the back as we worked our way through the infamous crawlspace.
What I gained that day was an entirely new level of respect for the power of light to banish darkness.
Once we reached the surface (yes, all eight of us made it out alive) our little flashlights, which had been so crucial underground, couldn’t even be seen in the daylight.
The task of bearing God’s light in a darkened world is an urgent one.
A couple of years ago a Christian TV network ran this ad: “Jesus is coming soon – perhaps tomorrow! Send ten dollars for a video that will explain the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Allow six weeks for delivery.”
If Jesus’ good news is what the world needs now, we’re going to have to rethink the urgency of our efforts to shine for him.
Jesus assures us that just one of his followers, strategically placed, can light the way for many others.
In Matthew 5:14-16 he says: “You’re here to be light. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine!” (The Message)
Wherever you are today, however you are called to serve, be a light in the darkness.
Show the way for those alongside you.
Shine.