Finding the Light at the End of Your Tunnel
Have you ever been in a situation that scared you to your core? Where the very fiber of your being felt unnerved? Was there ever a time you felt that way when it wasn't warranted? Sometimes that situation can involve a spider, a loud noise, or yes, even a pandemic. For most of us, it only takes a situation that triggers some past hurt or trauma in our youth for us to feel that shaking. That emotional shaking is an indicator of where we've become emotionally stuck. We all have these areas in our life, whether we are aware of them or not.
Psalm 91:1 talks about how we are protected under the shadow of the Almighty. Wow, what an image. Just drink that in for a minute . . .
Does that mean everything is rosy? I wish.
Then what good does it do us to be under the shadow of the Almighty? When we are stuck in these emotions that threaten to overtake us, how does this help us?
Well, that leads me to a story.
Kara is an extroverted bundle of love and joy. She weighs 10 lbs and has curly blonde hair, she's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mixed with a Poodle . . . a Cavapoo or some say a Cavoodle (she's a dog). And did I mention she is also high energy, very smart, and is amazingly loyal (meaning she never wants me to leave her . . . ever).
Right around 5:30 PM every workday, she lets me know it's time to stop working, have dinner, and play-with-the-puppy by climbing on me and putting her face next to mine. If that doesn't work, she positions herself on the floor to stare deeply into my eyes and then begins taking deep breaths in that she holds, and slowly lets out in a sad, mournful cry of injustice.
Because Kara is so smart, she loves variety (she bores easily), she requires walk routes to be changed-up, food to be rotated, and playtime to be full of variety (ok, maybe she's spoiled). Recently, we decided to get some canine training tools for her. A pet "fun" tunnel was delivered for her to do treat searches through . . . but the tunnel, though soft, made a plastic crackling sound and moved when she touched it. For a 10-lb pup, that can be very scary. To incentivize her we put treats in the tunnel. The treats resulted in loud, fearful whining from the terror of stepping into the dark, scary 'fun" tunnel, while desperately wanting the treats. To Kara, this was no "fun" tunnel. This was a tunnel of terror.
Kneeling on the floor in front of the "fun" tunnel to help her see she was safe, she quickly moved under my chest with her head under my chin and we stared at the scary fun tunnel together. She would only get the treat if it were one step into the tunnel of horror. My husband went to the other end to encourage her. We could see from our viewpoint that she was safe, that we had her, the reward would be worth it for her to step into her fear.
Quietly as He does, Holy Spirit, began speaking to me about his perspective and my own fears. As I could feel the top of Kara's head under my chin, I thought of how Kara was in my shadow, truly safe . . . but Kara was unaware of how safe. In the end, even though she was in my shadow, she still had to step into her terror tunnel; she had to take the step. I couldn't do it for her or she wouldn't overcome her fears, she wouldn't grow. You may be asking yourself, isn't personal growth highly over-rated? Consider this paraphrased verse . . .
Romans 5:4 [para] Troubles develop passionate patience in us, and patience, in turn, forges perseverance, and perseverance, proven character, and proven character, hope! And hope does not disappoint!
Patience develops perseverance, perseverance character, and character, hope! And as long as you have hope, there will be a way! But to get to hope, there is patience, perseverance, character . . . and then hope. Hope does not disappoint! Hmmm, drink that in a minute too.
Back to Kara, my husband came up with an idea of using a flashlight. Understand, this tunnel was 5' long and had side holes to it, but in Kara's mind, it was unsafe and scary. Bryan shined the light at the other end and she could see her path . . . and amazingly and fairly quickly she went in, ate her treats, and even turned around a couple of times. We celebrated her victory with her when she came out!
Again, Holy Spirit nudged me . . . perspective! Yes, you still have to enter the tunnel, but you are never alone. And if you REMEMBER the times I've helped you, remember what My word says in Psalms 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Remember His words like Jeremiah 20:11 where the Lord says He is with us like a Dread Champion, or Exodus 14:14 where He says He will fight for us, we need only be still. Then that is the flashlight equivalent of shining a light on something that seems like a terror tunnel in our own lives. When we remember and speak His words aloud, lights start coming on to once may have felt like dark paths.
No matter your belief, God loves you! He has made a way through these trying times! You are not alone. Remember the victories of the past. And remind yourself with His word that is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12) and He will illuminate your path with His living and written word! Because when you dwell with the Almighty, you are safe in His shadow.
Take the step today, the first step into your tunnel . . . for hope does not disappoint!
