Light at the End of the Tunnel

Anyone who has ever been to Dollywood has heard of the "Mystery Mine" roller coaster. For a long time, the attraction's marketing line dealt with the uncertainty of the light at the end of the tunnel, or the ride. This, of course, led to a little ten year old me being terrified of it. Now, having conquered the Mystery Mine, I can tell you there most definitely is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that the ride is absolutely not as scary as I thought it was. However, the silly little term, "light at the end of the tunnel" had been embedded in my head, hidden deep down under years of song lyrics and countless math problems. Until just a few days ago, I had no idea I remembered something as insignificant as the outdated tagline for a roller coaster. But then God decided to use it to show me just how bright that the light at the end of any tunnel is. 

I was sitting in the cafeteria at school with my friends eating a sandwich. Really not the most glamorous place for a revelation, but that doesn't really matter, does it? Anyway, as the conversation at the table continued, I became very distraught. You hear about how terrible high school is, but you will never understand until you've experienced it. I sat at that table hearing just how terrible the world was. I suddenly realized how wholly the teens of my age are controlled and ruled by sin. How impossibly deep society had succumbed to their own lusts. My friends, of course, could not understand why the weirdo at the end of their table was so shaken by their tales of tomfoolery and disaster. ( I was literally physically shaking. They thought I was insane.) But in my soul, I could see the mess these peers of mine were making of their lives. I could hear the tears that would be cried over the mistakes they were making. More than that, my heart broke for them. I ached for their ignorance, their disregard. And then, in the midst of my little internal sob fest, I remembered the Mystery Mine. God seemed to just drop the words "Light at the End of the Tunnel" into my mind as easily as I drop my phone. Instantly, I was calmed by his voice. However, I spent the rest of the day a little confused. So when I got home, I looked in my Bible for the word "hope". There were obviously many verses, but this one stuck out to me the most...

        "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour         Jesus Christ;" -Titus 2:13 KJV

The peace that washed over me whilst reading this is something indescribable. Regardless of how bogged down I become with the mistakes and struggles of the world, I will never be without hope. I will never be condemned again. Because I live in that light at the end of the tunnel. I thrive in the light. I am His, and He is mine. I can always see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am always looking toward that light, toward that glorious appearing of my Lord. And until then, despite all the trouble this world is filled with, all I can do, all I am called to do, is help others see that light at the end of their tunnel. To help them see that there is always a way out. 

-Abbey, 15 years old