The Caverns

I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.  Ezekiel 34:26

While planning on a little road trip next weekend for, what we think, is the final college visit for my oldest, got me thinking about the first part of my honeymoon.  We won’t be far from that very spot!  It was twenty-one years ago our married adventure began.

We stayed at a sweet little place where we could sit outside and enjoy the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains while drinking the delicious peach tea that was waiting for us when we arrived.  How nice it was to recuperate from the wedding excitement. Mostly, we drove around looking at the beautiful area, but eventually we did explore the Luray Caverns close by.

All this reminiscing led my mind back to the caverns.  There was something among all the stalactites and stalagmites that my brain was getting tangled up in.  I kept going back to them.  What was it that I was to learn from that underground formation?  It felt like there was a treasure that I couldn’t find.  I went back to their website to see if anything popped out to me.  Sure enough, things were starting to come together.

At luraycaverns.com, the process of creating caverns is described in this way:  As rainwater seeps through decaying vegetation in the soil, it picks up diluted carbonic acid. The acidified water percolates through limestone, dissolving and eroding layers along the way. It descends into lower levels of the earth and leaves huge chambers.

Calcium carbonate enters the cave and releases carbon dioxide. Over time, what starts as slow seepage and thin deposits of crystallized calcite becomes the massive forms that you see in Luray Caverns today. These formations continue to grow at the rate of one cubic inch every 120 years.

Thinking how someone could view the caverns as either being scary, dark, damp, and unpleasant or something of great and intricate beauty, I decided this is where we were going to have some real truths uncovered for us.

Let’s start at the beginning as the process described.  Rainwater.  Since rain is a major part of our water cycle, I think we can agree on the importance of it.  We need it to survive; it’s essential.

When rain comes down, I think of it washing the old away and providing fresh.  The blessing of rain falling reminds me of showers of blessings that are poured onto us. Even though we initially appreciate them, sometimes things can take a bit of a turn.

I  learned that when rainwater seeps through decaying vegetation in the soil, it picks up diluted carbonic acid.  Let’s just think about that for a moment.  On the ground we have something that is no longer the healthy, living vegetation it used to be.  It’s being broken down.  That pure rainwater is now getting mixed in with garbage…hmm.

Of course I had to look up pure carbonic acid and found out it’s some strong stuff that will kill!  Imagine my surprise when I also learned that solutions of carbonic acid are safe and in beverages.  That’s a little confusing to me, but lucky for us, the diluted part in the process we’re talking about means it’s in low concentration.  Digging into that, has me making some connections.

A blessing falls down like rain.  This could be anything.  It falls fresh on us…positive situation here.  What happens though?  It starts streaming through our rotten vegetation (the past, the old thoughts, the negative experiences, the fear, the shame, the condemnation) that we believed was disposed of.

This is the way I see it.  The rainwater (the blessings) seeps through decaying vegetation while picking up diluted carbonic acid (our junk).  Could this be where our mind starts receiving something that was not intended?

Next, the acidified water percolates through limestone, dissolving and eroding layers along the way.  Makes me think the limestone could be our heart.

Then, it descends into lower levels of the earth and leaves huge chambers.  Now we’re in our inner most being.  Could this represent our soul?  It’s quite a process we’re seeing here.  It wouldn’t happen overnight.

Finally, the calcium carbonate begins its work.  In those places that were hollowed out, new formations are seen in the form of stalactites and stalagmites due to this build up.  I was agreeing with this line of thinking but reached a snag.

How did we go from our emptiness and hollowed out inside to something beautiful?  The blessing started out as beautiful but changed as it got to our inner most being, right?

We could say that those deposits were hardened pieces of us.  They could be like scar tissue building up and causing more and more problems.  It’s sad to think of beginnings turning into such a mess!  I know I’m surely not inspired by that.

Here’s the problem with that being my final conclusion.  The inside of the cavern wasn’t ugly, it was beautiful and amazing.  It was like artwork from a master with the majestic formations, the gorgeous pool of water, and I can’t forget about the stalactites’ singing!

So, how did the ending go from one that was going downhill rapidly to one of beauty?  One word…light.  They filled the space with light and music.

There’s our answer.  It isn’t over.  Our stories aren’t finished.  Our situation isn’t hopeless.  Our big, gaping holes inside have the potential for joy and awe.  Only if we allow Light in.  How often do we take the gift and leave the Giver at the door?  The gift will surely turn into something it wasn’t meant to if that is how we receive.

Are you feeling like you have big, gaping holes inside today that are filling up with more negativity and garbage?  Have you given up hope for the world around you?

Turn on the Light!  Invite the Giver of great and wondrous things in so you can be awed at how He can transform the view.  God can take what was garbage in the dark and change it into a piece of art in the light.

Really see what type of work He has done on the inside but don’t get stuck there.  It’s time to climb out of the cavern knowing the beauty and light that’s now within.  With the Holy Spirit shining, you can’t keep that light to  yourself.  You are needed in this world.  He who is in you is needed to brighten the world, so share!  You’re a vital part of the process.  The process that began the downward spiral is not complete when kept to yourself.

There’s a warning that comes with this challenge.  It will be hard facing the world.  As I came out of the Luray Caverns, My eyes needed to adjust.  That’s absolutely understandable.  What I don’t want you to do is turn around and hide out again.  You’re needed.  You’re important.  You have too much to offer!

I can’t seem to leave it at that.  There’s one more thing that keeps begging to get out.  Blessings are interchangeable with words in this writing.  Are others’ words seeping through that decaying vegetation causing some issues in you today?  Just think about it.  It’s a key to a treasure that has been hidden in those dark places.

Will you see the scary, dark, damp, and unpleasant or something of great and intricate beauty today?  Your choice!

The Rescue

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!  Luke 12:22-24

“What is that noise?” asked my youngest a couple months ago.

There was a crazy banging sound coming from outside, and it was time for an investigation to ensue.  I figured that the wind must have caused something to flap back and forth creating the ruckus.  I’d take care of it and get back to my day.

What a surprise I received after realizing the flapping wasn’t created from the wind at all.  As I was going down the steps under the house, I had a direct line of sight to a struggling bird.  It definitely didn’t belong in our gutter, and it was stuck!

That poor bird was in a panic, and my first thought was how it might not survive the stress it was under even if it wasn’t physically hurt.  I knew the quicker we acted, the better the chances were of it getting through the ordeal.

With eyes as big as saucers, it took my oldest a second to understand what he was seeing.  The next thing I knew he was taking action.  Since he’s taller than me, it was up to him to get the bird.  I wasn’t sure what response the bird would have, but I was pretty sure it wouldn’t say, “Oh, sweet human, so good of you to come to my rescue.  Now that I know you’ve arrived, let me be very still and allow you to help me.”

Having that thought run through my head, I made my oldest grab a pair of gloves before trying to get the bird.  I handed him the scissors, and he had quite the job trying to maneuver the little one out of the gutter while cutting around netting that the poor thing got caught in.  I didn’t even know there was any netting there!

I was relieved when I saw him bringing the bird down.  It was my turn to take over the scissors while Mr. Hero kept holding the bird.  There was quite the tangled mess to work through, and I knew it was going to take a few minutes to get it all sorted out.

Looking back, the bird probably would have preferred silence as I was working, but instead it got a one-sided conversation by me.  I didn’t even realize I was treating it as I would a spooked horse until thinking back on it later.

It amazed me how the bird responded to me with such kindness and respect.  That bird gave me it’s full attention with such dignity!  I mean, it was a bit trapped, but still…we could all learn something from that.

Those tiny eyes locked onto me while I snipped, unraveled, and kept talking in a slow, quiet voice.  I think the reassurances were for me as much as for the bird.

I kept thinking how that bird was in shock because it wasn’t even trying to move as I was face to face cutting around its beak and feet.  It just kept watching me and letting me maneuver it however I needed to.  I’ll never forget the focus it felt like I was receiving.  I can still see those eyes!

When all of the netting was removed from the bird, I directed my oldest to an area that wasn’t completely out in the open.  I told him to gently put the bird on the grass and walk away.  Honestly, I thought it was all too much for the bird by its lack of movement.  It seemed to have completely given up any type of fight, but I was hoping that once we gave it space, it would eventually come around.

Mr. Hero knelt on the ground and opened his hands to set the bird down.  Before the bird even touched the ground, we had liftoff, startling both of us humans!  What just happened?  It took no time at all to recover; it just started flying directly from his hands!  How could it have gone from completely calm to moving with mighty speed?

I got to thinking that there just might be some pretty good lessons in our adventure that day.  First, there really isn’t anything good that can come from worrying.  Most of the time what we’re worrying about doesn’t ever happen.  If we do find ourselves in a predicament, do we really want to use what we’ve come up with as the final solution?

The bird made me realize that God can take a situation that could have ended up with completely different results and have the perfect solution lined up without any help at all from humans and our worries.  If He could make sure that we were home, heard the bird, were able to free it, and that it didn’t suffer any injuries with how badly it was trapped and struggling, don’t you think He lines up some pretty good solutions?

Do you want to trust your worrying to get you out of tricky situations or God’s unlimited mercy and grace?  I think I’d prefer to go with the One who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.  Sounds like a solid plan to me, and makes me think of the Quecreek Mine Rescue from 2002 and everything God already had in place.

The second lesson was recognizing that we can survive the stress we find ourselves going through.  That bird was stronger than I realized.  We are too.

Finally, I can’t forget those eyes looking at me during the rescue.  What seemed like absolute focus.  Lesson number three…keep the focus off the problem and on the rescuer. Our Rescuer. I challenge you to do that today.