There is a place in North Alabama called Cathedral Caverns. This cavern is an attraction that you can visit. I have been there with my children a few times, and we have been able to journey on the adventure of traveling 3,960 feet down a well-lit path into the heart of the mountain.
As you begin to make your journey, a few things start to happen. You become slightly disoriented by the change in environment, but also your body becomes more conscious of the unfamiliar surroundings. When you get to the very end of the trail, the tour guide makes a few statements about the statistics of the cave, and then he tells you what he is about to do. He informs you that he will be turning off all the lights that have illuminated your path up until that point, and then you will be in complete darkness. Not just any darkness, but 3,960 feet below ground darkness. You can’t even see the person beside you, nor can you see your hand in front of your face. It is DARK!
This reminds me of a place spiritually that many people are living in. A world plagued by sin and one that is hopeless without Jesus Christ. Many people don’t even realize that they are living in the dark. Like the way you adapt to the surroundings in the cave I referred to earlier, many have become used to the life of darkness that they live in. In the Bible, there are verses that speak to this very subject.
In John 3:19-20, scripture says
“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”
Sin and darkness overtake man without the hope of Christ. But Jesus makes it very clear that we can be free from darkness.
John 8:12 says
“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'”
When I talked earlier about how the tour guide at Cathedral Caverns turns off all the lights and lets you experience a darkness void of light, I forgot to mention that after a short time, he then takes out a small match and shows you how something so small can penetrate the darkest depths. It really is quite amazing to experience. Like the light that brings revelation to the surrounding cave, Jesus brings more than a small amount of light, and His light penetrates through the darkest of hearts. One of my favorite passages of scripture reminds me of this truth.
In 1 John 1:5-9, it says this:
“5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
As we have read these verses, we see that Jesus is the Light! He is the only way to illuminate the darkest parts of your heart. As it says in 1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
My prayer is that you will receive the real forgiveness that can only come from Him alone, and you can walk on the path of His Everlasting Light.
Amanda Patterson
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#amandapattersonblogs