If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you certainly remember “The Best Story Ever.” If not, it’s a fun one, you should check it out. But, getting completely lost in a foreign country only to be rescued by a clown and some golden arches isn’t the only thing that happened while I was exploring Australia. Let’s talk about another one of those unforgettable experiences down under and how it illuminated some new truth in the midst of a dark time (I mean that quite literally.) My wife and I had been exploring the country for a week or so and while we had already encountered amazing sights and incredible stories nothing was quite like the Jenolan Caves situated in the Blue Mountains, a couple of hours away from Sydney. The area offers hiking trails with incredible mountain views as well as tours of the caves which boast the exact opposite of mountain views.
Being up for some adventure, we embarked on a tour of the caves. As we headed in, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. At first, the caves were easy to navigate. There was plenty of light and our tour guide was very easy to spot. However, as we progressed deeper and deeper into the caves, the natural light rapidly diminished and eventually, electric bulbs mounted to the cave walls became our only source of light.
In each new chamber of the cave, the guide would stop to share interesting facts or history about the caves. As we continued to progress he brought our attention to the fact that it was getting darker and colder. As we approached the deepest cave in the tour our guide decided to have a little fun with our group. He had us stop, find a spot in the cave where we could stand, and finally, he gave us a brief warning. It was about to get dark, really dark. He warned us that when this happened, we should stay calm, remain still, and simply wait for the light to return. After his safety speech, he turned off the lights and I, for the first time ever, understood what total darkness actually means. It was so dark that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. I know that this is a regular figure of speech, but that is not what I’m doing here. I mean this quite literally. We were completely enveloped in complete and total darkness. I don’t remember the exact scientific explanation our guide gave for this level of darkness, but it boiled down to being in the complete absence of light. But even in the midst of that absolute darkness, I discovered something incredible.
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Before the lights came back on, the guide pulled out a tiny flashlight. Under normal circumstances, this light would have been barely visible. But, when surrounded by complete darkness, it shone like a star in the night sky. This tiny flashlight pierced through the darkness as if it was the lamp on a lighthouse. You couldn’t have overlooked this tiny light if you tried. That’s because, in the midst of total darkness, light always wins.
This experience in the cave reminded me of how John introduced Jesus in his Gospel account (It’s the one called John. He named it after himself. #bossmovesonly.) John 1:1-5 tells us that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
What Jesus and the Jenolan caves both seem to be screaming is that even the tiniest amount of light is enough to overcome even the greatest amount of darkness. Unfortunately, it’s not difficult to find darkness in our world. Listen to any news outlet for even a few seconds and you’ll know this to be true. But, its also not difficult to find the light we need to overcome that darkness. Jesus is the light of the world and He came to overcome the darkness. No matter how dark the world gets, it only takes a little light to overcome it.
There are times in our lives when we look up and find ourselves surrounded by complete darkness. These times can be overwhelming. It can seem like there is no hope and no way out. But I know this to be true, the light will always win. It may not happen as quickly as we would like, it may not happen according to our plans, but eventually, whether in this life or in eternity, the light will win.
One of the ways we can bring our own unique type of light to the word is by living out our values. If you don’t know your personal values, I’d love to help. Click the button below to get my free values assessment tool.
When the caves went dark, there was nothing I could do. There was no way in the midst of that level of darkness, I would be able to find my way to the light switch. All I could do was trust that the guide had the situation under control and wait for the light to return.
That day in those caves, surrounded by complete darkness, I knew that the light always wins. It was a great reminder that even when the world or our surroundings seem at their darkest, there is hope. That hope is found when we bring the light into the darkness. John teaches us that Jesus is the light that the world needs. But in Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus tells us that we, His people, are the light of the world. He goes on to say, “A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
No matter how dark things may seem, the light always wins. So let’s hold onto that hope for ourselves and let’s show that hope to others by reflecting the light Jesus has placed in us.
What’s the darkest situation you’ve ever faced? How did you find hope in the midst of it?
As we face difficult situations in life, let’s hold onto the hope that Jesus is the light of the world and that the darkness will never overcome it.
BrandonHair.me 
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