April 9, 2008

Several years ago, I went on a cave tour. One of those old roadside attractions where they take you down into the cave. Show you all the stalagtites and stalagmites, explain the difference between the two, and tell you how long it took to form each one. And then light them all up with colored lights to make them look even more cool.

Even though it may not sound like a thrill-a-minute adventure, it really was a fun experience. It was just a bit eerie to know that we were going deeper and deeper into the earth with every set of stairs we went down.

Eventually, we got to one point, deep into the cave. The guide explained that we were so far down that light could not reach that part of the cave. He said, "Now, I will show you total darkness." And at that moment, the lights went out.

And there we stood. In complete, total darkness.

You couldn't see the person standing next to you. You couldn't see your own hand. You couldn't see anything. Except for the darkness.

It was cool, and just a bit scary, all at the same time. Knowing that things were there, but not being able to make out even a faint outline of a shape. Hearing sounds, but not being able to see where they were coming from.

After a few moments of darkness, the guide said, "Now see how much difference just a little light makes." And he struck a match.

Now to me, a match flame doesn't normally seem to give off that much light. But in this case, it seemed to light up the whole room of the cave. Just one flickering match flame in the otherwise complete darkness.

I have seen big fires that light up the night. On our church youth group retreats, we always have a big campfire on Saturday night. And one guy in particular likes to build them big. The joke most recently was that the astronauts on the space station were calling in the fire department because they could see it from space.

And those big campfires do light up the whole area. You can see the people around you clearly, because they are in the light of the fire, although you can't see much of what is past them. And they give off much heat, so much so that you can't stand too close to them without getting really warm really quickly.

But as bright as those fires are, they don't have quite the same effect on me as that one single match flame, flickering softly in the darkness.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:16

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