The following was originally posted on August 2, 2016. It has been edited:
It was a mythical experience, straight from the pages of a Tolken novel. The caverns were massive and filled with subterranean wonders that challenged my imagination. According to the National Park brochure, within the largest chamber of Carlsbad Caverns you could house the entire U.S. Capitol building. An unbelievable factoid that helped to put things in size perspective and actually made sense when you gazed upward to the ceiling. So big. So huge that words seem inadequate to describe the scale.
After wandering and wondering at the 750 ft. level underground for over an hour, it was time to ascend to see the light of day. We had two choices. We could take the elevator, which we had used to descend. There was a hour wait as the elevator could only take eight people at a time and there was a crowd on line. The other option was to trek up the mile and a half path that led to the natural entrance to the caverns. This was the historical route that the original spelunkers took with their candle lanterns to enter into the fascinating underworld. To me, the choice was a classic "no-brain-er". Not only didn't I want to wait on a long line of whining people but the opportunity to ascend using the trail of discovery was too much to pass up. Thankfully, the rest of the family agreed. Adventure awaited and we were not about to pass it up.
With great enthusiasm, we started up the dimly lit path that meanders around boulders the size of houses. Again the scope and the scale of the caverns is hard to relate. As we got closer to the top, the chambers became no smaller. What must those early explorers have thought as they descended down this way? With only a lantern to guide their inquisitive spirit, what must it have been like to see cavernous spaces open to one another? Walking out, I knew a secret that they couldn't have imagined upon their first descent - there was a Capitol-sized chamber yet to come!
Having been underground for a couple of hours our eyes had adjusted to the darkness. The lighting was sufficient for us to safely navigate but it wasn't bright. On our approach to the natural entrance we turned a corner on the switch-back trail, past another enormous rock, and encountered something that was delightfully unexpected. There was a bluish beam of light that came from the surface. This ray brought sunshine and warmth into what was otherwise a dark and damp place. So pronounced was this beam that it seemed to be solid. Like a spotlight in a theater as the show is about to begin, it focused my attention. Where there is light, there is life and possibility.
I take light for granted. In the morning, it is there. Although most of my day is illuminated by the sun, I rarely give it second thought. It is just the way things are. On the way out of Carlsbad Caverns, as the beam of natural light pierced the darkness of my journey to the surface, I saw things a bit differently. Light is a gift to an unappreciative planet. Light is not to be assumed. Light is to be treasured and seen as the blessing for which it is given. In the bible, light is a created reality, put into the darkened space in order to provide order mid the chaos. Later on, Jesus is metaphorically declared to be the light of the world - giving hope and illuminating the very path of God.
What would it look like if we were to give thanks each morning for the light of day? What if we were to appreciate the natural splendor of creation beginning with the sun itself? On rainy or cloudy days when the suns rays are obscured, perhaps we could take the opportunity to reflect on how life would be if we were 'sun-less'. The massive beam of light that travels through space and warms our planet is a regular blessing for all who live on this wonderful creation. It is a blessing even for the creatures who live underground and find themselves illuminated for a few hours.
Permission granted to share with family and friends. Copyrighted, 2016. Walt Lichtenberger