The Cave You Most Fear

Darkness is not something most of us are attracted to, nor are we comfortable around it. You turn out the lights on the outside of your house at night and it will appear unwelcoming. You turn the lights out at night on the inside of your house and you will probably become uncomfortable. We like the light. It is attractive and comfortable.

Going into a cave means stepping into darkness. Stepping in to darkness goes back to the previous paragraph, we become uncomfortable. In life we tend to be very wary of the caves that we come upon. Some caves may be more lit than others, causing us to be more comfortable in them than others. That brings us to this week's quote...

The cave you most fear to enter contains the greatest treasure. ~ Joseph Campbell

A movie came out several years ago, called "The Goonies". One of my all-time favorites. I enjoy the practice of going in search of something mysterious. During the movie they encounter a cave to go into. They were hesitant, but knew the enemy was on their heels. The pursue the cave and they find treasure, tons of treasure, at the end of the cave.

My spiritual life is one of mystery. I have no idea what is going to happen next. Who's going to call, text, send an e-mail, or even just cross my path that God won't use me mightily in that situation. I look forward to it, every day! I hope you will learn to do so, too.

As you go through life and encounter different caves, don't be afraid to go into the most dark cave out there, cause it just might surprise you and have the greatest treasure in it than all the others.

Monday Mentionings: Empty - Earth - Isaiah 45:18

It was a great day getting together! The warm weather made me feel a bit more excited to get out; maybe you felt similar feelings.

Yesterday we started a new series called “Empty”. This series is designed to help us understand the different ways which can be empty. We started the series by looking at the earth and how it was empty, dark, formless, and void. Here are some additional ways to remember and apply the lesson…

1. Support is necessary in just about every area of life. Whether it is physical, emotional, medicinal, etc., support is crucial. God set up the earth by suspending it over nothing. However, the earth still needed support – that being support from the Creator. You need support as a Christian – you must be connected to the Creator, too. If you’re not connected to Him, you will go down quickly! Don’t have a week of empty time without connecting to Him! Take time to connect to your Creator this week by praying to Him – give Him your concerns, complaints, praises, thoughts, evangelistic hopes, ministry goals, etc.

2. What does if feel like to you to be in the dark? The earth was dark in the beginning, but Genesis 1:2 tells us that God was still there. Look for someone this week who might be experiencing life in “darkness”. They could be going through something that day, that week, or just a time in their life that seems without hope. They may not even realize that they are living life in “darkness”, but as you recognize it, take your light to them. Your light might be a compliment, a prayer, a conversation, buying lunch, sending a card/e-mail of encouragement, etc. Regardless of what your “light” is – the main thing is to take it to them!

3. God is Good…All the Time! There is nothing remotely like our God! He is awesome! Take time to appreciate our earth and all that makes our area unique. Even in the bleakness of the winter, we can be appreciative of the area that we live in. Maybe you will want to praise God for this too, but at least take time to appreciate where you live and that it was given to you to live on.

I hope you had a great start to your week!

May you have a “vision” and an intuition for those who are walking in darkness as you go about things this week!

Taking my light ~

E-mail Encouragement: Fearing Shadows

Light is practically always a good feeling. The sun coming up in the morning reminds us that a new day is dawning. Lights coming back on after they went out due to power failure allows us to feel safe again. You could probably think about other instances where light made someone feel good.

Light causes shadows. Do you fear shadows? Read on...

Never fear shadows. They simply mean there's a light somewhere nearby. ~ Ruth E. Renkee

The system of sacrifices in the Old Testament has been referenced to being a "shadow" of what Christ does for us in the New Testament. Based on the inabilities found in the sacrificial system, it would be easy to "fear" them. As the sacrificial system was such a system that required many, many sacrifices to be done throughout one's life.

If those in the Old Testament knew that Christ's death meant never having to sacrifice again, they wouldn't have "feared" these sacrifices. As those sacrifices simply meant that Christ (i.e. the Light) was "somewhere nearby"!

May we revel in the idea that we have the Light to "walk in" (I John 1:7) and a "light" to illuminate our path (Psalm 119:105)! So remember not to fear shadows because a light (of comfort) is nearby!

I hope you have a great end of your week!

Walking a "Lit" Path ~