Tunnel Vision

Somewhere underneath the slopes of Snoqualmie pass, carved out of the mountain, is an old train tunnel. The Snoqualmie Tunnel is a bit longer than two miles long and is part of an old rail line, turned hiking/biking corridor. It has no lights and is, to be totally honest, a little scary. The long tunnel echos the pings of water drops hitting the ground from the drips in the ceiling. The cool tunnel walls chill the wind coming from one side of the Cascades, blowing through to the other.

The picture on the left is the tunnel opening from the West. As you may be able to see, the first few 50 yards aren't that bad. But once inside, the light starts to dim and you start to understand the phrase 'the light at the end of the tunnel'. For the next two miles, there is only darkness surrounding you with a beacon of hope that always seems just within reach. It's hard to gauge how much longer there is to go in the dark. On a weekend, you can meet lots of other adventurers finding their own way through the darkness. Now if you've already read the wiki article linked above, you know that once on the other side the journey is only half way done.

The next trailhead is 8 miles down the trail, so to get back home, it requires a return trip through the darkness.

When I took my last trip through the tunnel, my friend and I had our flashlights through much of the tunnel. But on the way back home, feeling a little more confident, we walked the last half of the tunnel in total darkness. Gotta say, it was a lot of fun.

I think in many ways the journey we have embarked on as a church is a lot like walking through a tunnel. The church is poised for transformation, but to get to that light at the end of the tunnel requires a, perhaps, scary journey. The first few steps look super, bright, and even inviting. Once inside, the initial light quickly dims.

We're not sure what the other side looks like, only that it is full of light and hope. We have enough light to see what lies a step behind and a step ahead, but not much else. The finish line seems ever right at hand, the perceived distance to the end ever deceiving. All that is required is to follow the light and faithfully believe that we will reach it and be better for it.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

~John 1:5

Robert