“Whenever God closes one door he always opens another, even though sometimes it’s hell in the hallway.” I don’t know who said that; I searched but only found it quoted—usually as signatures in BLOGs—but with no reference. It resonates in my spirit, if in an amusing way.
A year ago, I made some prints for Susan’s office Christmas party at Duke University. They were a playful twist on an old saying: “There is a calm before the storm.” That saying however, is the reverse attitude of the faithful person. A person of faith knows there is a calm coming and so he calms and quiets his soul (Psalm 131:2) and knows peace in spite of the storms of life. Just so, I made the twist of phrase print for her colleagues. She says they all have them hanging in their offices. That’s a nice thought.
Last night she was speaking with one of those colleagues and made a little twist of her own. She accidentally said, “There’s end at the light of the tunnel.” So she wanted that made into some gifts for this year. I used a photograph (there was no copyright or photographer info on the site) from the inside of the “Big Tunnel” in Bedford, Indiana, to illustrate her turn-of-phrase. I think it illustrates a realistic hope.
Last year’s Christmas gift
This year’s Christmas gift
If you’d like high resolution prints, email me your name and address and I’ll send you one 4×6 of each (no charge).
We can know the Light that is God in this tunnel of life—this sometimes hellish hallway. That Light in the darkness tells us there is a promised end in sight. He is faithful to his promise to end the gloom; just so, we can remain faithfully at peace in the tunnel. We will emerge one day. In the meanwhile, despite the absence of “calm,” one may know perfect peace. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12, ESV)
In that original email that started this entry, was a portion of the Lawrence Chewning and Ray Boltz song, “The Anchor Holds.” It sums up what I’ve been trying to say. If you’d care to listen, click the “play” button below. Their song may remind you of the old hymn, “My Anchor Holds,” by William Martin, which says it even better.
“The Anchor Holds,” sung by Ray Boltz
2-CD set includes “The Anchor Holds” and “Thank You”
The page where I got the Big Tunnel photo no longer exists. No searches turned up anything either.