Christian Living

LOST IN MILLER'S CAVE

by Charles (Chuck) Robey
01/07/19
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"Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or toil in vain.”  (Philippians 2:14-16)

" Well, son, are you ready to go explore Miller's cave?" I asked.

"Yes Dad, I'm so excited, I could hardly sleep the night, for thinking about it!" my son exclaimed.

"OK, I’ve got the needed explorer supplies. Here we go, let's go down under!"

 All went well that day, until our lanterns died due to the batteries failing.

"You never were an explorer scout, were you, Dad?" he asked after a while.

"That's OK son, I'm an old hand at this. I've explored many a cave, more than you could ever count. I know Miller's cave like the back of my hand. I bet I spent half of my time here as a kid. I was known as the best caver of our little community. We'll just use this  cigarette lighter and quickly turn around and go back out," I replied.

That's when our cave adventure really became interesting.  We stumbled down and through many dark corridors of the cave, not being able to see our hands in front of our faces, for what seemed to be an eternity. 

"I'm sure, son, this path is right," I exclaimed.

"But Dad, we've been by this way at least two or three times, I remember tripping over this same rugged bolder," he explained.

So on and on we went, I don't rightly know for how long. We had no light, so I couldn't check the time.

Then all of a sudden, there it was; a small sliver of light coming into view from among  the rocks a short distance away.

"Please Dad, I know what an expert you are. But may we just check out this sign of life?"

 And that we did, much to my surprise. For standing in the light was a most unusual character. A professional caver for sure. He was dressed from head to toe, in the protective clothing of knee pads, hard toe boots, lamp helmet, gloves, the customary emergency pack and with an emergency whistle around his neck.

What was so amazing about this caver was he was also carrying an old, tattered Bible.

"Look Dad, a Caver! And he is well prepared for his cave journey. I just know he can help us."

"Please friend, address me by my professional name of "spelunker,"  not the old slang of caver. For I have spent a whole lifetime studying and working hard at my profession of "speleologist,"  he quipped as we drew near. "At least I knew to always carry extra cave lantern batteries," he continued to jest under his breath. "So can I help you find your way? You two seem to be lost."

"Dad, Dad, I know how you are with your super ego. But please just give him a try to help us!" my son begged.

"Okay, son, don't worry," I replied.

That's when the situation became more bizarre as this stranger started his speech, or should I say his sermon.

"I just can't imagine you of all people being well versed in cave exploring, to have entered this cave unprepared." was his very first sentence, which irritated me to no end. But I just let him continue, as we really needed his help.  

"Don't you know without any light to guide you, you could remain lost forever? And I am really surprised, you of all people being a dedicated Sunday school teacher, not being able to tell the light from darkness.”

“Don't you remember that famous parable of the Ten Virgins, also known as the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins or the Parable of the ten bridesmaids as found in (Matthew 25:1-13)?” he continued.

However, before I had time to answer, he had opened his age-old Bible and began reading from the Gospel of John, followed by what appeared to be a personal commentary.

“You see, Jesus is called “the true light, which gives light to everyone” (John 1:9). Throughout the New Testament, the followers of Jesus are called to be lights in the darkness. So, what about you, my friend, what does it mean to shine in today's dark world? To even shine in a deep dark cave?”

“For you seem to have taken the same path as many others. They make unwise choices that lead them down the wrong paths in life.  And quite frankly these paths will tend to lead one further in the path of sin.”

“Just as you needed that cave lantern, you also need the light of God to lead you down life's right path, for we live in a dark world, full of lies, hate and confusion.  You can surely do this by walking closer with God, and by casting off the works of darkness,” and he read again from (Romans 13:12).  

So, my dear friend, if you will open your eyes to see His light He will always direct you down the right path, be it in the light of day or the darkest cave." (Matthew 5:16)

"Well sir, I can't argue with you here. You are right for drawing my attention to my own current circumstances," I responded rather shamefacedly. 

Without saying another word, the Bible character disappeared,  leaving us in the dark of Miller's Cave to go it alone.

His unexpected exit left my young son in a panic, prompting a frantic shout for help. "Why did he leave us this way, Dad?"

"I don't know son, he seemed to be such a nice, old character, dressed so in that caver attire. Now, I'm not really sure if he was actually here. Could it have been our anxious need of help prompting a panic or delusion? For once, I'm becoming rather fearful myself.  It may be time now for us to stop our adventure and pray."

Then it happened, the scene quickly changed, while we were deep in prayer.

"Son, son, are you awake? it's time to go cave exploring in Miller's Cave.  I've got our  gear, lanterns, extra batteries, and the needed food supplies all ready, so let's go for it!"  I exclaimed to my son as I awoke from my deep night’s sleep. 

"OK Dad, I'm ready, I was just waiting for you to wake up. From the expression on your face, you must have really been in a deep dream world. You were even talking in your sleep," he responded.

"Well, son, you just don't know the half of it.  Never mind, let's go. I'm ready now for any of life's cave obstacles."

Author's Postscript

Those cave rock formations are beautiful attractions. I remember, once as a young lad,  taking a tour in one of the largest and most recognized caverns of our country. Shortly after advising us that destroying the rock formations was a federal crime, I remember the guide’s sense of humor by saying the stalactites grew from the ceiling so they had to hang on "tite."  And the stalagmites grew from the cave floor with all of their “mite.” I also remember him turning off the lights as a demonstration, and we couldn't see our hand in front of us. As a young lad, I was scared to death, hanging on to Dad's coattail.

So was this really a dream with a well-deserved Bible lesson? Well, you be the judge. One thing for sure, however, the point was well taken and driven home properly. Not only to me, but to my young son as well.

Have you ever found yourself about to go down that same path of unprepared Christian living? I've been there and done that many times in well over a half-century of living on this old orb we call earth.

Many times we fail to comply with the principles of divine providence.  We have a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation or condition. In other words, to this explanation, one may merely repeat,  "It’s simply sinful human nature." 

That's where the Bible promise of (I John 1:8-9) comes into play. Amen!

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