The Caverns Below
Yesterday, with my oldest son in town from college for spring break, our family took a little trip to visit Mammoth Cave. Though there are 426 miles of known caverns, we kept it manageable and visited about 3/4ths of one mile. The guy who discovered this section, nick-named “Frozen Niagara” because of the waterfall like formations, found it by blasting in the hillside where he felt some cool air seeping out of the ground. His goal was to find a new entrance to the cave system so that he could siphon off customers from the main cave and make a profit.
One thing I learned was that those 426 miles of caves weren’t spread out across multiple states like I assumed they must be. Of course if you stretched them out in a straight line they could reach almost to Little Rock. But the caves are more like a pile of spaghetti rather than a straight line, winding and bending, descending down to multiple levels and layers. When you think you’ve found the bottom, there’s another passage that opens up and goes down deeper
A Hidden Sin
It’s no coincidence that the morning of this trip I finished a book on envy. I don’t know why this topic keeps showing up in my reading and studies and research, but it does, and I’ve learned that means I should pay attention. That’s the crazy thing about envy, it’s not always obvious to yourself or to others. The author says it this way, “Envy is almost never out in the open; it is secretive, plotting, behind the scenes.” And where does Envy lead? “Intent on the destruction of the happiness of others.” I heard Tim Keller explain envy as not just wanting what someone else has (which is probably more like coveting), but also wanting that other person to suffer harm and loss because they have what we don’t.
Matthew recorded Pilate’s observation that the Jews wanted Jesus dead primarily because of envy (Matthew 27:18). How could someone be that eaten up by envy that they want to murder the only perfect person to walk this earth? James hinted at this when he said, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.” (James 4:1–2). The outward sin of murder starts down deep in the dark hidden recess of our hearts. Envy grows out of our sinful desire. If not dealt with, it will grow and become out of control.
After leaving Mammoth Cave we went to the Corvette Museum. A few years ago a massive sink hole opened up right in the middle of the main showroom of the museum. It swallowed up 7 or 8 collector Corvettes. Where did this sink hole come from? A cave that was deep under the structure, one there long before the museum. This dark cavern lay dormant for so long and yet eventually ate away at the life above it.
Apply the Gospel Daily
If you find yourself thinking, “Envy? I don’t really struggle with that” (as I did), this is the time to pause and pray and ask God to expose any envious tendencies, or root sins that could grow into envy. The hope is to expose envy now, rather than ignoring it until it opens up a gaping hole for the whole world to see. None of us are above any sin, let alone one as multilayered and damaging as envy. I love that Valley View is a church that is all about the hard work of searching our hearts and confessing sin regularly. Let’s stay vigilant to apply the healing power of the gospel to our lives anew every day!