Ok … who wants to crawl through the teeny tiny hole in the rock??
Hubby had discovered a wonderful hiking trail on the “All Trails” app. The trail had 5-stars! It wasn’t too long or difficult … just the type of trail hubby & I could do. Many people had highly recommended this trail! And it even ended at a fabulous cave!
Hubby and I were excited to see what this cave at the end of the trail was like!
Off we set on the hiking trail.
And it was indeed a delightful trail.
After about 30 minutes of hiking, we arrived at an impassable wall of sheer rock.
At the base of which was a teeny tiny hole.
Surely that can’t be the entrance to the cave. Hubby and I were both expecting a “normal” cave entrance.
Perhaps we missed something. Perhaps the “normal” cave entrance is a little further on … just down the trail a little more. But a few steps further on, the trail dead-ended. The impassable wall of sheer rock completely blocked the way.
That teeny tiny hole down next to the ground truly was the way into the cave.
Hubby and I stood … and studied the teeny tiny hole down next to the ground.
Did we really want to get down on our hands and knees and crawl into the dark … into who knows what??
We tried to bend over and peer down through the dark hole. But we couldn’t see anything.
To get down on our hands and knees and crawl into that teeny tiny dark hole, into pitch darkness … that took faith.
We had heard from others (on the “All Trails” app) about how fabulous the cave was. This cave was highly recommended.
But hubby and I couldn’t see it.
We couldn’t see anything at all. Nothing but a somewhat unnerving teeny tiny hole in the base of the rock.
Hubby and I had to trust by faith that the cave was there … and by faith, we had to get down on our hands and knees and crawl into the teeny tiny hole. Into something we didn’t know. But which we trusted was there and was amazing.
This right here is a really good picture of what faith in Jesus Christ is like.
We have heard high recommendations about how amazing Jesus is! We have heard how Jesus can take away our sin! We have heard how Jesus can take away our shame and guilt. We have heard how Jesus can give us new life and peace! We have heard how Jesus can give us access to Heaven!
But just like the hiking trail hubby and I were on, when it comes to real life we also find that our “path” ends at an impassable wall of sheer rock.
We can’t gain access to Heaven any other way.
We can’t gain access to new life and peace any other way.
And just like hubby and I stood outside the teeny tiny hole and pondered whether or not we should get down on our hands and knees and crawl into the unknown, so also many people stand outside the “entrance/doorway” of Jesus Christ and wonder if they should put their faith in Jesus.
To enter the “doorway” of Jesus Christ requires humility. To “get down on our hands and knees” so to speak.
We cannot stand up straight … in our own pride, and our own goodness, and our own accomplishments. We must humble ourselves. We must admit that we are a sinner. We must admit that we have sinned against a holy and just God.
And as we “get down on our hands and knees” in humility and surrender, then and only then can we pass through the “doorway” of Jesus Christ.
And as we, by faith … and in humility, pass through the “doorway” of Jesus Christ, only then can we see that the cave opens up! In fact, it is very spacious! And filled with light!
The vast spacious cave opens onto a wonderfully delightful courtyard, filled with life and beauty – plants and ponds and trees!
A path led across the courtyard and over to yet another bigger, even more interesting cave! There a docent was sharing fascinating information about the history of the cave, the plants & animals of the cave, and the formation of the cave system. It was amazing!
This right here is what faith is like.
Romans 5:1-2 lets us know that we are “justified” (made right with God, just as if we had never sinned) through faith.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
It is our faith to get down on our hands and knees and enter through the “doorway” of Jesus Christ … and by this faith we gain access! We gain access to grace and forgiveness of sin! And we can stand! We can stand tall on the other side of grace!
We gain access to peace!
We gain access to God!
We gain access to Heaven!
But it requires faith!
It requires faith to enter by the “doorway” of Jesus Christ!
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” – Hebrews 11:1
This is to be on the outside of the teeny tiny hole and to have certainty that an amazing cave is on the other side somewhere. Even though we can’t see it. It is to stand on the outside of the teeny tiny hole and be excited with hope about the amazing cave that is there waiting on the other side.
“Faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead.” – James 2:17
We might say we believe there is a cave on the other side of the teeny tiny hole. But if we are not willing to pass through the teeny tiny hole, our statement about faith means nothing. Faith, if it is not accompanied by action, is worthless.
We must get down and crawl through the teeny tiny hole into the dark unknown. This is faith! Faith is action. Faith is actually getting down in humility to repent of our sin and give our life and our future to Jesus Christ. Faith is action!
