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Tunneling Through Time

by Debbie Allen

Over the course of forty-six years together, my husband, Jim, and I have enjoyed countless scenic rides through our rugged, Colorado mountains.  Whether our drives lasted a couple of hours or a couple of days, our hearts never tired of exploring the indescribable, beauty awaiting us in God’s marvelous and mountainous creations.

A few years ago, two of our grandchildren joined us on one of our mountain drives to Glenwood Springs, for a three-day weekend escape.  Because it was still early spring, things were just starting to green-up and many places I’d labeled scenic, at one time, failed to peak Ryan and Chelsea’s interest. But something else sure did! Every time we drove through a tunnel, the backseat grew strangely quiet.  No more noise, no more laughter, no more teasing. But the moment we emerged out of the tunnel, it sounded like the kids exploded in our back seat. Startled at first, I turned around to find their red faces gasping for air, chests still heaving and both Chelsea and Ryan, laughing and taunting one another, about how long each of them held their breath throughout the tunnel. Bragging rights were only awarded to the one who conquered holding their breath the full length of the tunnel. By the time we reached the Eisenhower Tunnel, which is an entire mile long, you can imagine how out of breath they were…and how many explosions we heard in our backseat before we reached the end of that tunnel! 

Not only were my grandkids’ reactions to the tunnels along the highway entertaining; they reminded me of something in my own childhood I hadn’t thought of in years. As a little girl, I remembered piling into my Mom and Dad’s, copper-colored ’57 Chevy along with my two younger brothers; and then heading up into the mountains to my Grandpa’s log cabin. Though the drive up there wasn’t too long, to us kids,, the ride seemed to take f-o-r-e-v-e-r.  With my brother, three-year-old, Doug, asleep on the seat next to me, and five-year-old, Danny, sitting on my six-year-old lap; mountain scenery didn’t interest me in the least.  But when the sunshine disappeared on us in the middle of the day, and darkness swallowed our car with us in it…my interest more than peaked!

“It’s ok, kids, nothing to be afraid of.” My Dad assured us.  “We’re just inside a tunnel.”

By the time he finished his sentence, Danny and I were already up on our feet, gripping the back of my dad’s seat (Seat belts weren’t required by law yet).  There were no lights at all in the tunnels back then so the darkness surrounding us was as deep as it gets.  On his tip-toes, Danny stuck his fingers out the window to feel the cool, damp, darkness. Fearful at the very thought of doing that, I gripped my Dad’s seat even tighter; convinced there were bears hiding in that darkness, just waiting to eat little kids fingers off as they rode by.  In all the confusion, Doug woke up crying; unable to see any better with his eyes open than when they were shut.  That’s when I watched my dad take action!  First, he pulled a knob on the dash which turned the headlights on. Then he honked the horn repeatedly, until we reached the other end of the tunnel. While still in the shadows of that tunnel, the first thing I did was to count my brother’s fingers.  Relieved he escaped with all ten of them, I reasoned that my Dad’s honking must’ve scared the bears away…just in the nick of time! All I knew for sure that day was this. The very moment that darkness spit us back out onto the road and the sunshine filled the car again; my Dad became this six-year-old, little girl’s hero for life!

 As an adult, these two stories make me chuckle still.  Both are filled with the precious laughter of childhood and days gone by.  But they offer us so much more. Take a closer look and you’ll find truth hidden between the lines that, if taken to heart, may help us through our own tunnels of darkness on Life’s Road.

My grandchildren, Ryan and Chelsea, invented the “Hold-Your-Breath-Until -You-Explode” game, as a way of navigating through tunnels they encountered.  It worked for them…but in real life, I wouldn’t recommend it.  Tunneling through the darkness we encounter on the Road of Life can be treacherous.

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“Often in life we find ourselves in the midst of an unexpected tunnel of darkness. Unwanted fears and a feeling of being overwhelmed and outmatched grips our hearts.”

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 Often in life, we find ourselves  in the midst of an unexpected, dark tunnel.  We lose sight of how we got there and can no longer see where we are headed.  Unwanted fear and the feeling of being overwhelmed and outmatched grips our hearts. Yes…we can take a deep breath and choose to take on these times in our own strength and wisdom; putting our trust and confidence in our self-determination to navigate through the darkness. But, how long is that tunnel? The average person can only hold their breath two minutes.  If we are two minutes into a crisis…what are we going to do to get us the rest of the way?

Whether we like to admit it or not, all of us have an unfathomable need for God’s Wisdom and Guidance in this life.  Truly, life is a mountainous journey, riddled with steep, turns and twists, and unforeseen tunnels of darkness that we were never intended to navigate on our own.

Whether you are tunneling through the darkness of an unexpected cancer diagnosis…the unplanned loss of a loved one…a relational or financial crisis…or even the aftermath of a world Pandemic; every inch of that darkness is deep.  If you choose to just hold your breath until things look brighter on the other end, you will run out of air and end up crumpled on the floor in darker despair.  But there is another way to get through.  Your own strength will fail you…but God won’t.

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“Though I am surrounded by troubles (darkness), You will bring me safely through them.” (Psalms 138:7a LAB)

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Think back to my own tunneling experience.  Remember what six-year-old, Debbie did when the darkness swallowed her?  Though shaken, she listened to the sounds of her dad’s voice telling her, “Its ok,,. nothing to be afraid of.” 

Then she scooted as close as she could get to her Daddy and clung tightly to the back of his seat. There she anchored herself, waiting and watching for his next move.  Though the darkness still surrounded her and her fears grew even bigger for a time; she chose to trust him fully to bring her safely to the other side.

Tunneling through Life is certainly not for the faint of heart. Our Heavenly Father knows that better than any of us.  He will allow us to take a deep breath and try to find our own way through the tunnels.  But His greatest desire is that His children make a conscious choice to hear His Voice and trust in Him as their Father.  To scoot in closer to Him and cling tightly to His Presence.  He is our Anchor in such deep darkness. He’s the Shield between us and harm. The mighty Horn that scares away the enemy crouching in the darkness. Even when despair and fear feel like they are crushing us, we must learn to trust in our Father to bring us safely to the other side.  The Father offers His Protection for our own survival.  He gives us His Strength…so we not only “go” through our tunnels…but we will “grow” through that darkness as well. Hide behind your Heavenly Father…cling to Him…and then wait for Him to turn your darkness into Light!

“You have turned on my light!  The Lord my God has made my darkness turn to light.” “Now in Your Strength I can scale any wall…”  “What a God He is!” (Psalms 18: 28, 29a, 30  LAB)

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PRAYER:

Dearest Father, God…Many are the ‘tunnels of darkness’ we must go through as we journey down Life’s Road.  Help us not to get so lost in our ways in this world that we retreat to, and trust in our own understanding and strengths to guide us through dark times.  Rescue us and restore our sight; enable us to see the way You would have us go. We cry out with King David, speaking to those in his kingdom who chose to take a deep breath and trust in their own self-serving wisdom:

“But as for me, I get as close to (The Father) as I can! I have chosen Him and I will tell everyone about the wonderful ways He rescues me.”

IN JESUS NAME…AMEN

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