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Commit your way to the Lord – trust in Him.
salm 37:5 (NIV)

Twenty years later, I can still remember the darkness of that tunnel.

We were on a train, traveling to the Midwest from California – on our way to a new home and a new life. Neither my husband nor I enjoyed flying and we definitely were not enthusiastic about driving some three thousand miles with two children! So, the train was a logical choice.

The trip was going well – beautiful scenery in Colorado and a pretty smooth ride – until I heard about “the tunnel”. The time had come in our journey when the train was no longer able to take “the long way around” the mountain – in order to get to the other side of the high Rockies it had to go through a tunnel.

We were prepared early in the day. The lights were off to preserve power, our pace was slower for safety, and we needed to relax, stay in our seats, and trust the engineer.

The ride through this tunnel took several minutes and it was so incredibly dark that I could not see my own hand in front of my face! No lights, no sound – just the darkness and the steady, sure, constant movement forward of the train – AND the comforting presence of my husband next to me.

Honestly, I did not enjoy that particular part of the trip, and I would have avoided it if there had been some other way.

However, I knew if we were to get where we were going, we had to go through that tunnel.

Sounds a lot like this journey we are on, doesn’t it, dear sisters? We are on a train of sorrow traveling through the tunnel of grief. Some of us are just entering the tunnel, some are part way through, and some are beginning to get closer to the light at the end. This is not a part of the journey through life that any of us wanted – but we know in order to get where we are going this tunnel is necessary. It is difficult to relax and let the “train” move forward. This time we don’t have our beloved spouses by our side, and the darkness is so overwhelming.

We must take comfort in knowing that this particular train is not guided by a human engineer.

This train is guided by God Himself – He is not only the engineer – He is also sitting next to us – right there alongside.

Corrie ten Boom said this:

” When a train goes through a tunnel, and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off – You sit still and trust the engineer.”

I wanted to get off that train during our trip across the country, and so many times during the last few years of widowhood. But I realize I have no choice – for if I am to see the light again and get where I am going, I must relax and let my loving God be the engineer.

And, by the way, when I got through that tunnel into the light again, I was rewarded with some of the most breathtaking scenery I have ever experienced.

The trip through the tunnel was hard; but, the reward was worth it.

Dear Father, trusting You when there is light is difficult. Trusting You when there is darkness and uncertainty is overwhelming. We want to pace and fret and rush through the journey – we want to get to the light again. Look upon us, Father, and give us an image of You as the Engineer of this particular journey. Amen