Cave exploration and being like a deer

Introduction: I was recently inspired by a blog post written by a friend of mine...Part of what he wrote was about how we often don't realise the impact that the things we share could have; that we shouldn't let our voice be silenced, because what we share may be just what someone else needs to hear (go and read the original post, because it's written much better than my very brief summary!) So with that in mind, I thought I'd write a new blog post and share some thoughts with you from my holiday in Southern Italy this summer, in the hope that it may be of encouragement to you also. 

The area of Italy that we visited, Puglia (also known as Apulia), contains a number of caves due to the limestone rock in parts of the region. On one of our sightseeing trips, we visited a place called Castellana Grotte, where there is an impressive cave system that you can visit and it is quite a big tourist site. Unfortunately, in order to see these caves, we had many stairs to climb and walkways to traverse, the stones we walked on were very uneven in places and to top it all, it was fairly dark in parts. So at first, I spent quite a bit of time worrying that I was going to fall - particularly given my history of weak joints and twisting/spraining my ankle easily. It took all of my concentration to focus on where my feet were going. Looking down meant that, not only was it hard to appreciate the beauty of the caves around me, but I also ended up feeling really nauseous (it felt like really bad travel sickness!)

 

But then I was reminded of a verse in the Bible, about God making us as surefooted as deer, which blew me away! The verse goes like this:

"The sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights" (Hab3:19; NLTtranslation)

In a different translation (the Amplified version) it says this:

"The Lord God is my strength [ my source of courage, my invincible army]; He has made my feet [ steady and sure] like hinds' feet, and makes me walk [forward with spiritual confidence] on high places [of challenge and responsibility]."

A similar verse in Psalm 18 says:

"He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He causes me to stand on the heights...you provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way." (As you may appreciate, the latter phrase managed to get my attention!)

Now whilst it may seem like mixing metaphors slightly to think about being like a deer walking on the heights when I was 60m underground in a cave, this reminder made me think that perhaps, even though it was counterintuitive, I needed to look up, not down. Looking down wasn't working; I was worrying, not enjoying the trip, missing the beauty around me (which I desperately wanted to see and enjoy!), and I was even making myself ill! But God said that He would make me as surefooted as a deer - I just need to look up and trust Him to take care of my footing, as He said He would, as well as everything else. It was very hard to let go of that feeling of wanting to be in control. But when I did, it meant that I was freer, not constantly worrying, and I was able to better appreciate the beauty of the caves around me, as well as to better appreciate the people around me too. And I didn't fall. Perhaps this is also a picture of how my life should be.

The definitions of surefooted are along the lines of:

- unlikely to stumble or slip
- confident and competent
- able to easily walk on rough ground, without falling
- the ability to negotiate difficult or rough terrain safely.

I particularly find the latter two very interesting. It seems that being surefooted does not mean that the way ahead necessarily becomes smooth, much as we would like it to (the floor in the cave didn't magically change when I stopped looking at it!). But it does mean that even when the ground beneath me is rough (as it will be, at times), I will still be able to walk on it confidently and without hurting myself. I just need to look up, and not down at my feet!

There are other places in the Bible where we see this same principle at work, even though the contexts are slightly different. In one of the letters the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, he talked about how much pressure he had been under and the hope that he had in God to deliver him:

"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the trouble we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope, that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers" (2Cor1:8-11).

I also love Psalm 124, that talks about how overwhelmed the Israelites would have been...IF God had not been on their side. It reminds us that God is our help.

I could go on, there are so many other similar passages that have been coming to mind of late. Notably there is also the story of Peter walking on the water, and how he only started sinking when he started looking down at the waves and at the storm around him. But when he kept his eyes fixed on Jesus ahead of him, he was able to overcome and to walk on the waves (completely impossible in the natural!) You should read the whole story if you aren't familiar with it, it's pretty amazing.

I am also facing a number of challenging circumstances at the moment, in several different areas of life. And these come on top of already having a fairly full life, with numerous responsibilities. The very real temptation is to look at all of these things and to get overwhelmed by them and wonder how I will cope. And yet, "this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lam3:23). God promises that if we make the hard decision to look up at him, He will keep us from being overwhelmed. We may encounter situations where we feel hard pressed, but we will not be crushed. He will make us surefooted like those deer, able to traverse those difficult places where it should be impossible for us to walk. HE will be the one who directs our steps. And in the process He will give us a hope to cling to, He will enable us to see the beauty around us, like I did in those Italian caves, and we will see him at work in incredible ways that we would otherwise not get to see, in both our lives and the lives of those around us. It will be worth it. And when we walk like this, perhaps we will also be able to grab hold of those who are struggling around us, no longer at risk of being dragged down by their struggles but able to reach out to them and teach them to also look up.

A song that I have listened to many times, but is inspiring me afresh at the moment, is the song "God I look to You" by Bethel Music. It is a great song of declaration about this very topic - of looking up and not being overwhelmed. Have a listen, and I hope it inspires you too.

 
God I look to You - Bethel Music

 

Verse:
God I look to You, I won't be overwhelmed
Give me vision to see things like You do
God I look to You, You're where my help comes from
Give me wisdom; You know just what to do

Chorus:

I will love You Lord my strength
I will love You Lord my shield
I will love You Lord my rock
Forever, all my days, I will love You God

Bridge:

Hallelujah our God reigns
Hallelujah our God reigns
Hallelujah our God reigns
Forever, all my days, hallelujah!

Rocks and sand

Recently we celebrated the start of another new year. People often use this time as a chance to reflect on the year that has been (2016), and to dream about the year to come (2017). I saw one blog post that someone had written about their biggest fear for 2017 - that nothing was going to change and everything would stay as it had been, rather than the new year bringing the hoped-for fresh start. However, whilst I sympathise with the sentiment, as I have been reflecting, I have come to the opposite conclusion - that for me, one of my biggest fears for 2017, is knowing that lots of things ARE about to change (some of which have already started shifting at the end of 2016).

Since leaving home for University, I have moved around a lot and lived in a number of different towns/cities, in a number of different houses within those places, been part of a number of different churches and made a number of amazing friends. Whilst many elements of this have been good, it has also made me anxious to settle somewhere (probably the nesting instinct coming out!) And indeed, I have now lived in my current town (and been in my current job) for longer than any of the other previous places I have lived (other than the places where I grew up). My current job is permanent (at least, for as long as they want to keep me!), and I own a house, both of which add to the illusion of greater permanence. The problem with this, is that whilst I am not necessary completely satisfied with everything about where I am right now, I also find that I have unknowingly let myself become comfortable here, finding security in the (mostly) predictable nature of things around me.

But it is only an illusion of security, sinking sand if you like. Jesus told a story about two men, one of whom built a house on a rock and one of whom built a house on the sand. Unsurprisingly, when the storms came the house on the sand fell (there are many great kids songs about this, with amazing actions and sound effects!), but the house on the firm foundation of the rock continued to stand firm. The more I get to know Jesus, the more I come to know that he didn't just tell us things for the sake of it, to just fill the time with some nice stories to make us feel better, and he didn't tell us things in order to make our lives harder or boring. He actually told us things in order that we really might have life in all its fullness. When the storms aren't around, the sand actually looks like a pretty good location to build a house - why go to all the bother of building a firm foundation, the house on the sand looks just fine from the outside. The problem is only evident when the storms come (and they do come). If we build our lives on things of this earth, even though they may look good, and stable, they are only fleeting and we find that if we have built our house there, it will eventually fall into ruin - what happens if you lose that job? Or end that relationship?  Or I lose the ability to do certain things that I used to love? What then?

But there is good news. Jesus says that if we build our house (our lives) on the rock, then even when the storms come, we will not be shaken. But what is this rock? Well, the God that I know and believe in, claims to be that rock. He is the only one who is unchanging in this world of change, my rock, the only firm foundation. His attributes and character also never change: He is always love; He is always good, and we can always depend upon Him. God wants us to depend on Him in this way, not to kill our fun or make life hard, but actually to protect us, that we might still be able to stand even in a world full of uncertainty and change; He wants us to live lives that are solid, lives of integrity, lives that don't get blown this way and that with the changing seasons. But we don't do this because we've got everything all figured out - no, it's because we're depending on the rock, the reason we can stand firm.

The process of learning this lesson in practice is not proving to be an easy one, but in the long run our lives will be better for it if we do. In 2017, a year promising to be full of change, I want to choose not to live in fear any more, but I want to turn and find my security in God my rock. He will never let me down, and with my life built on Him, I will never be shaken.

This is a song that has been encouraging me a lot lately:

Jon Guerra - Wherever you are

Verse:

You can take the train or you can take the car,
You can travel the world but not too get too far.

You are always just where you are.

Why don’t you wanna be where you are?

I can see you’re sad, I can see you’re down

You think you’re lost and cannot be found

Love will find you just where you are

Why don’t you wanna be where you are?

Chorus:

Wherever you go, he is there

No matter the steep hill or stair

He doesn’t leave you alone with your prayers 

He is as close to you friend

As your own heart beat or breath

Believe you are loved

And that he is enough

For whatever you’re in

You know that he’s been

Wherever you are

Verse 2:

When you’re head is spinning and your life’s a race

When you try so hard but you get last place

Sometimes you are just where you are

Love doesn’t leave you where you are

Bridge:

There is no height, there is no distance

That can separate your heart from his

He knows exactly where you’ve been

And he loves you

Child he loves you

So come out, come out, come out wherever you are