DARK PLACES

          

            I hate dark, tight spaces and prefer open vistas with lots of sunshine and fresh air. Like the beachside.

            Yesterday’s field trip with my twin boys was anything but sunny. We were 60 feet underground, exploring Fantastic Caverns, just North of Springfield, MO. By the way, did you know Missouri has over six thousand caves? That’s why one of its nicknames is The Cave State.

            I am not a fan of caves. But I went because I have to be available in case Benjamin had issues. I was also pleased to note that the caverns were large enough that we could ride through. So we all piled into two wagons pulled by jeeps and headed underground.

            At first, I was a bit apprehensive at being so far below the earth’s surface. All sorts of disastrous scenarios flashed through my mind. But little by little I began to relax and see the beauty of this underground world. Majestic soda straw stalactites dripping water onto the earth below, massive columns shining with a milky-type dew, elegant stalagmites rising from the earth as they reach towards the cave’s ceiling. Incredible splendor hiding right beneath our feet!

            As we rode further into the cave, the tour guide asked us to turn off our cell phones and i-pads. Then he extinguished his light. Total darkness. A darkness so thick and complete, that you couldn’t even see your hand right in front of your nose.

            Have you encountered times like that, when life is so obscure you can’t see even a ray of hope? Life seems to be dark at every turn, with no end in sight? There is a light that has pierced the darkness. His name is Jesus. He is the light that makes the darkness flee. “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” (John 12:46).

            It was such a relief when our guide turned the lights back on! (Benjamin and I were holding hands and I was doing most of the squeezing!). But it was also incredible to see the beauty all around us. Even in this dark, forbidding place there is life and growth. Stalagmites grow at a rate of one cubic inch per year; slow, but steady until one day they are gigantic columns that no one can topple. Living creatures also inhabit these caves; snakes, bats, crayfish, moss, mushrooms.

            I have found that it’s in the dark times that God is working the most in my life. Lack of light doesn’t entail lack of growth. Quite the opposite. For that is when He is stretching my faith, like a rubber band is stretched when it’s being used for a purpose. Realistically, I’d prefer to be in those wide, open spaces with sunlight pouring down on me. Those are the times that I desire. I don’t really want to go into those dark places if I can avoid it. But that’s when my faith grows and I learn to trust God’s loving hand.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6

About the author
I grew up in France, the daughter of missionaries with The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM). I attended Emmaus Bible College in Switzerland and graduated with a degree in Bible and Theology. I now live in the Ozarks with my husband and three sons, one of whom has been diagnosed with Asperger's. I am a member of the Ozarks Chapter of American Christian Writers and a founding member of the Jerry Jenkins Writers' Guild.