LEAVING THE CAVE

Many caves have the past remains of campfires, bones and implements of another generation, another time. The past inhabitants leave little to tell of why they were in the cave. The only clues are history and time. The cave only tells of a generation past. There is nothing that speaks of the present. There is nothing current or obvious. Everything is old and used. There is death and the past in every corner of the cave.

The blackened walls add to the darkness of walking into yesterday. There is a yearning to look and know and explore and inspect but it is taken over quickly by a desire to go back out into the light and into today, into the now. We decide to leave yesterday in the little piles of bones, little burnt sticks of wood and cobwebs of the past. Only the cave knows its secrets.

We are left to deal with our own secrets. But here’s the issue: there are no secrets with the Lord. We need to share our past caves and experiences with the Lord of the cave, the earth, the sky, the pain, the divorce, the bankruptcy, the failed parenting. The cave is just like our past…everything is old and past, dusty and dark…but still hanging around. Time to get out into the light, the way, new forgiveness and to leave the old dead bones and yesterday in the cave. By prayer and faith we try to leave the darkness. It is time to paint a new wall…in a new cave.

“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” Jesus