She Dances Over Graves

My kids and I have a little tradition with tunnels. Whenever we drive into one, everybody holds their breath and tries to make it all the way through. Lately we’ve been traveling through a certain tunnel about twice a month on our way to a Saturday morning class, and each time I can hear my 5 year old gasp for air and try again about half way through. Though the rest of us would count her out of the race for that breath, in her little mind, she is still all in and determined to win!

As we were driving through that tunnel this past weekend, playing our usual game, I saw in our death-defying adventure an allegory of great spiritual significance. There we were, plunged into a confined hole of darkness, speeding toward the other end – where we knew there would be light again. We couldn’t see that light upon entering the tunnel, of course. But we absolutely trusted that it would be waiting for us at the end. We didn’t doubt that we would make it through, nor did we doubt that the light of day and the chance to breathe again would surely come soon.

So holding our breath, as hard as it may have been for some of us, was an exercise in faith, not doubt. It was teaching us of the power of hope that does not disappoint. We knew that, the further we drove into the darkness, the closer we were getting to light. And what I realized was that, as we drove on, as we endured and pressed through toward what we knew was waiting on the other side, we were literally experiencing the acceleration of hope. The harder it got to hold on, the sooner we were coming into the experience of what we had hoped for.

And, of course, that is exactly what happened. In the end, we broke free from the darkness and into the marvelous light of day, catching our breath and, with it, a fresh appreciation for that which we so often tend to take for granted in life.

In the Bible (Romans 5:3-5), we are encouraged to see our lives like that tunnel I drove through. We are told that we can rejoice when we run into (or drive through!) problems and difficulties, because those problems and difficulties are meant to develop endurance in us. Then endurance, as we press on and press through, develops strength in our character, which in turn strengthens our hope in God. Like the light at the end of the tunnel, that hope does not disappoint, the Bible says. And the reason it does not disappoint is because God loves us so much, He has vowed to demonstrate that love over and over again. He has promised to show us His goodness, His kindness, and His help relentlessly.

There have been seasons in my life so dark that I nearly lost all hope. But hope is never truly lost as long as we are alive, because Jesus’s life is always and ever alive within us, drawing us deeper and further into His great love…a love that never fails. There have been times when my heart hesitated and resisted embracing the hope that waited for me at the end of a tunnel journey, but I have learned that there are some things we just can’t back out of, and the only way to get through them is to embrace the hope that’s waiting on the other side.

The challenge then, dear Woman of Breakthrough, is daring to believe – not our emotions and not our fears – but the Word which God has spoken over hope:  hope that rests in God alone does not disappoint. If you’ve been disappointed by the outcome of a tunnel journey in your life, maybe your hope was counting on something other than the breakthrough of God’s marvelous light. And this much I know for sure: God loves us too much to let us go through a dark place only to break through into something less than the light of His presence.

Women of God, whatever you’re facing today – however dark it may be – remember that, as you journey with God into and through that darkness, your hope (the hope He has reserved for you) is literally accelerating by the minute. Every step you take, no matter how grueling, is moving you closer to that hope which will not disappoint. So hold your breath if you have to, but don’t give up! Gasp for a fresh breath of air half-way through if you have to, but be determined to see the light at the end of the tunnel you’re traveling through, because I promise – and God promises – it is there waiting for you!

Today, let’s set our hope on God alone. Let’s will our hearts to believe that He has more and better in store for us than this present darkness. We can trust this to be true because He promises in His Word that He causes all things to work together for our good as we love Him. He wastes nothing. Even if you’ve landed in the tunnel of darkness by your own detour, He will be faithful as you look to Him. He has still placed a light at the end of your journey. And there are just two conditions to reaching that light: believe and press on!

I’ll leave you with my favorite verse, and pray that it encourages you to press on toward the hope that awaits your heart. God will be faithful to you, Dear Woman of Breakthrough! And you will embrace a living hope that does not disappoint, very soon!

“I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born…” Isaiah 66:9

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