There is a light at the end of the tunnel!

     And no, it's not a gorilla with a flashlight!  Sometimes one would think that to be the case.  Life throws stuff at us that lead us to believe that the light at the end of the tunnel is either non existent or so far away that we despair of ever getting there.  So, why do we chase the light at the end of the tunnel anyway?  What is it we have been convinced of that leads us on the endless journey to get to the light?  As a Christian, I have always believed that the light at the end of the tunnel is the entrance to heaven.  That's true as far as my personal knowledge and experience.  But what about the tunnel itself?  The Bible says that narrow is the way that leads to life and broad the way that leads to destruction.  Maybe the tunnel is a good metaphor for the Christian journey?  Perhaps we need to keep our focus on the light as we move through life here on earth.  Jesus is the light of the world.  He is not the light the devil gives that is deceptive and leads one to believe we an do life without Jesus.  He came into the world to enlighten and to shed light on the world.  Another perspective is that it's only in the light one can be examined.  Living in the darkness helps us to hide ourselves from each other but not from God.  There have been many books written about life and death experiences.  I have yet to read one where a life hasn't been changed profoundly.  That's my story as well.  Having had a life after death experience, I know the light is real, the light leads to heaven and the light will be waiting for each and every believer.
     But what about the tunnel?  The tunnel is dark and visibility is confined to what is very close to you and nothing beyond that.  Unless, of course, you have some light to show the way.  Flashlights are good and help but don't illuminate the whole tunnel.  Torches and even beacons fall into the same category.  The tunnel is dark because of the darkness of sin and evil in this world.  Everyone of us has lived in the darkness of the tunnel since our conception.  That's what the Bible says.  The darkness doesn't go away when we come to know Jesus.  It's still there and surrounds us.  The difference?  We have the light of Jesus to take us on our journey.  Note that the darkness of the world doesn't go away.  There, I believe, is a good reason for this.  If all we have known is the darkness of the tunnel and suddenly have the light; everything is now unfamiliar.  We need the light to take us on the path of righteousness.  Reliance on the light within us is now essential for our continued journey.  The temptation to return to the darkness lurks around every turn of the tunnel.  It's always easier to go the path of least resistance.  The tunnel itself isn't the path of least resistance. The path of least resistance belongs to all those both demons and human who choose to live in the darkness that makes up the space surrounding the tunnel.  We have choices to make in regards to focus.  We are in the tunnel until our earthly death.  So, it's in spiritual dying that we first have the light bestowed upon us for the journey ahead of us.  The physical dying allows those who have Jesus as Lord to enter into the light at the end of the tunnel...heaven. 
     Imagine yourself at night in a dark forest.  Your journey is to enter the forest at point A and then exit at point B some unknown distance away.  You have a flashlight but no batteries.  If you choose physical batteries you have a limited time to make the journey.  If your batteries run out of energy before you reach your journey you are left in total darkness.  However, if you have the light given by Jesus through his salvation and the Holy Spirits presence then we can indeed walk by faith and not by sight!  The journey is as long as it is.  It doesn't matter because spiritually the believer is already there at the end of the journey.  We have become sojourners in the world and are homeless.  It's a good place to be.  While we are dependent upon God for the journey, we are also free from the pull of the darkness to the degree that we have chosen to leave the world in favor of living with and for God.  There is nothing, according to Scripture, that can snuff out the light of God living within us.  We are the light of the world in that sense.  People can see us even if we cannot see them.  It is our light that first attracts that others see and are attracted to.  If we don't live in the light then people cannot see Jesus living through us.  Whatever your belief about the topic of the day, you still have the ultimate choice.  Choose wisely!