Today I watched captivated as one miner after another was pulled out of a tiny capsule retrieved from half a mile deep within the earth. At the beginning of the rescue effort, a few paramedics had courageously made the trip down, aware of the potential dangers, in order to help retrieve all 33 of the miners. The sight was breathtaking and exhilarating when the first miner surfaced and joyfully reunited with his wife and son. Each rescued miner was greeted with applause and hugs – including one from the Chilean president himself.
While watching, all I could think about is what must have been running through the miners’ heads before the rescue became a probability. Would they ever see their families again? Would they die in the cave together, being forced to starve or go insane? Did anyone even realize they were missing or even alive? What would they have done differently with their lives to this point had they known they would be indefinitely stuck that day. Meanwhile, the whole Chilean government was taking drastic efforts to find the 33 missing men – not sparing any resource or expense – so that they could have a second chance at life.
Now I am realizing more and more clearly how amazing a picture of Christ’s love and sacrifice for us this is. Many people may ask if 33 people were really worth all of this effort—people die every day. Would it have been worth it for just one? We have all been stuck in the cave, and most probably don’t even realize it. Christ made the ultimate sacrifice – his life – so that any, even just one, could be saved and have a second chance at life because of it. And how great a celebration there is when we choose to step into the capsule he has offered us to emerge as a redeemed being! The funny thing is, I personally think that belief in Him as the almighty and saving God is simpler and easier than taking a 20-minute ride in a claustrophobic capsule. (Plus, it gets you eternal life, not just a few more years!) However, it is just as important to realize that those of us who have received this salvation have the responsibility to courageously journey to find the others who have not yet been rescued to help show them the way out of their entrapment. My hope is that we can live each day frantically trying to save any who are lost before their opportunity is missed.
(all images retrieved from Yahoo news)
