I’ve been traveling through a tunnel for the past seven years. Can I share my experience with you?

A few days ago I realized almost seven years have passed since I left a place I considered a friend, a friend I practically grew up with from ages 19 to 48. But unfortunately, friends can turn on you for personal gain.

I don’t regret any of it. I met my husband there, made true friends there, gained an abundance of knowledge there. Seven years and I feel as though I’ve emerged from a tunnel.

Have you ever felt that way?

There is spiritual significance in the number seven, and although there are many Bible references about this number, what came to mind was seven years of famine. I’ve learned famine doesn’t always mean food and famine is a good thing when it makes us hunger for God.

Now a word about idols, they can be sneaky. We must examine and be cautious of what we allow to infiltrate our hearts. I had not realized the idol this place had become in my life. I didn’t love it more than God, I didn’t love it more than my husband, I didn’t love it more than my family. In fact I resented it because it took me away from my children.

So how then do I know it was an idol?

Because the thought of losing it plummeted me into darkness like I had never known.

It took months, years, to realize the darkness was pride, resentment, bitterness. The darkness was self-pity and self-serving. The darkness was not just within that place, it was within me. It was an identity I had created that wasn’t really me at all.

But the dark place helped me find what true light is. Perhaps the pit I thought I had dug for myself was not a pit, but rather a tunnel God used to lead me to a place I needed to be.

When we travel through a tunnel we keep our focus on the journey ahead. The farther away we travel from the entrance, the closer we get to the light at the end. Tunnels can be a passageway to another place God has planned for us.

When we travel through a tunnel we are learning in the dark what God can use in the light.

The tunnel I speak of is not literal of course, but I think you can relate to the metaphor. A tunnel is a covering of protection we journey through, but only Jesus is The Way.

Seven years is a long time, but only when we waste it. We can keep moving forward even in dark places. Some biblical references point to the number seven as signifying completion. When we reach a time of completion something new begins.

So what have I learned the past seven years?

I’ve learned what it means to be humble. I’ve learned what it means to trust God, He is my security. I’ve learned He allows even pain in order to accomplish His purposes, and in His promises there is hope. I’ve seen first-hand how God truly does make all things new, how He provides. God really does work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, just as Romans 8:28 says.

Good and holy things can happen even while journeying through a tunnel. We don’t have to wait to reach the end before we reach a turning point.

I don’t yet know what the end of these seven years signifies. I don’t yet know what the next seven years will bring. What I do know is that God knows and we can always trust Him. Isn’t that comforting? He knows our struggles and He knows what we need.

Sometimes we need to travel through tunnels where bridges have not yet been built.

Your tunnel may not last seven years or it may go far beyond. Regardless of of our travel time in the tunnel, we can be assured He has something magnificent waiting for us at the other end.

What tunnels have you traveled through?

For more information about the number seven, check out https://www.gotquestions.org/number-7-seven.html

Grace & Peace to You,