Down the Tunnel

Are You Ever Afraid to Go To Where God is Calling You?

I was watching my two-year-old grandson on a playground, enjoying a lovely warm spring afternoon.  Last year he was too young to really enjoy a playground, so it was an adventure for him.  He bravely climbed the steps to a little plastic slide, sat down, and joyously slid to the bottom where I caught him.  Of course, he wanted to do it over and over again.

“No Tunnel!”

On the same level was a small tunnel slide.  I asked him several times if he wanted to slide down it, but he said no.  However, as he got braver, he said “Go on tunnel slide.”  So I told him I would be at the bottom waiting for him.  He walked over and looked into it.  Because of a curve at the bottom, he couldn’t see the end of the tunnel or me.  But I called to him, letting him know I was there waiting for him.  But then he said, “No tunnel.”

I went back around, and he wanted to go back on the slide we had used before.  We resumed our sliding and catching routine until he again asked to go on the tunnel slide.  So back we went, with me making my way to the bottom of it and calling to him to reassure him that I was there.  After a few moments, again he said, “No tunnel.”

In reflecting on this, I’m thinking that because he could not see the end of the tunnel and couldn’t see me there waiting to catch him, he was afraid to sit in the top of the tunnel and let go for the slide down.  He could hear me, but he couldn’t see me.

Life Can Be Like a Tunnel

Isn’t that how we are sometimes when God is calling to us to step out beyond our comfort zone?

It’s easy to trust God and let go when we are sure of our destination and confident that He is there to “catch” us.  But sometimes He is calling to us to do something different than usual or to go to a place that we aren’t used to.  Even though we know in our head that God is always with us and will always make a way for us when He calls us to step out in faith.  But we become afraid to actually take the step.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

One thing about that tunnel slide – from the top looking down, you could definitely see the light that came in from the end.  It was not dark.  That’s how our tunnels are.  We can see the light of Jesus shining.  He does not leave us in the dark.  He said, “I am the light of the world.”  As our light, He shows us the way, even though we may have to take the plunge into what seems to be a tunnel.

Let’s focus on Jesus, the Light.  Let’s listen for His voice.  We know that if He is calling us, He will catch us!