DARKENING TUNNELS

I Was Just Thinking About – DARKENING TUNNELS.

We have all heard the expression: ‘There is light at the end of the tunnel.” Some comedic types suggest: “The Light You See At the end of the tunnel is an approaching Freight Train.” A tunnel experience, especially when it is a darkening tunnel, is not a pleasant experience. People respond to it differently – some more drastic than others.  Have you ever been in a darkened/darkening tunnel?

When I was a boy, a mode of transportation was the Subway System. When I could, I liked to be in the first car and position myself by the window, alongside the Conductors enclosure  There I was able to view the tunnel, tracks and stations. There was always lights of one sort or another in the tunnel. However, in life, that is not always a comparable experience. People find themselves in a dark place and no visible pathway to travel. They feel trapped and alone. There is no one who can help them at that moment.

At the risk of being too transparent and/or being misunderstood, I had such an experience when I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer (Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma). It seemed as though it was in rapid succession as I had several things racing through my mind – A Great Grandson and his losing struggle with Leukemia; a Doctor’s expressed thought that I might have to have my tongue and voice box removed; coping with the possible implication of Stage 4 and life limitation; surgery to have a tracheotomy. It was during the surgical procedure that I experienced a nightmarish period of being in a dark cave with only stalagmites covered with stretch plastic and my being restricted and confined in a place where I did not want to be. I struggled and struggled to free myself BUT could not. I felt helpless, alone, weakened, trapped. I don’t know why but I still have momentary flashbacks of that nightmare and struggle. It drives me back to the presence of The Shepherd (Psalm 23:4) even amid the valley of the shadow of death, He is always with me. Also, the words of Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed (or depressed)… I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you…”

Some people cannot cope with the struggle in the darkening tunnel experiences. The World Health Organization reports there are 800,000 suicides in the world each year (and many more failed attempts). That means that every 40 seconds someone takes their own life and decides that death is better for them rather than a depressing struggle in life.

There is a Blog - Penetrating The Darkness by Terry Powell - I appreciate and read. Recently, he wrote and included: Second Corinthians 3:5-6,  “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant.” Powell went on to state: “If we’re honest, no matter how many compliments we receive, feelings of inadequacy still dog us, siphoning off motivation for duties involved in our service…All it takes is one critical note (usually unsigned), one reminder from Satan about a past sin, or the realization that a grown child is away from the Lord, to send us into a tailspin. God doesn’t promise that He’ll give us the same degree of popularity or eloquence as a pastor across town, or the same number of converts as a friend who often witnesses, or the same exuberant personality of a teacher across the hall on Sunday mornings. Yet if He has called us to our position, He does pledge His adequacy for our task. I firmly believe that God enables us for whatever He calls us to do.” What is your focus and commitment. If you are uncertain, begin each new day with Hebrews 12:2 – I am looking unto Jesus, the Author and Completer of my faith and hope.

Prayerfully – consider these things with me.