Lessons From The Cave

"A cave has two great things to teach you: Light is sacred; silence is to integrate with eternity!"

These words, written by Plato (400 yrs. before Christ) in his work, "The Allegory of the Cave," ring true to me. I have seen the power of God's light in overcoming the darkness; I've experienced the transformative effect that persevering in the shadows can have on the soul.

This student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle is right in saying that the purpose of "silence is to integrate with eternity." The Bible reminds us that the Lord has put eternity in our hearts. But our hearts have been marred and fragmented by sin and brokenness, so the work of our souls - becoming reintegrated with God's plan for eternity - is something we must actively engage in by faith. This part of the sanctification process often happens in the hidden and shadowy places of our lives. In the "caves," we are forced to cease our foolish striving to seek rescue from the things our physical eyes can see and begin to look to the unseen realms for our help and savings. In doing this, we can become, at last, rightly aligned with God's eternal ways.

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal!" 2 Cor. 4:18.

Now, to the tender souls in the caves, know you are not alone. God is near the broken-hearted, the discouraged, and the lost. If you cannot find help in anything you see or already know, consider how this can be an invitation to something greater, found only in the realms of the unseen. In these times, choose to cry out to God because His existence, love, and power are real. Do not let the hurts caused by others dictate your understanding of God. You owe it to your soul to reach out your hand to the only One who can link you to eternity and all the power of the universe He created. “God is light; in him, there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. " John 1:5

"He reveals deep things out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light" Job 12:22