The Trapped Miners and The Forgotten Ones

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"One thing that comes out in myths is that at the bottom of the abyss comes the voice of salvation. The black moment is the moment when the real message of transformation is going to come. At the darkest moment comes the light.

~Joseph Campbell


I don't cry easily...But warm tears trickled down from my eyes as I watched the Chilean miners being hoisted up in a capsule, one by one...It's still going on, as the 15th miner is due to be pulled up as I type...

I found myself praying for all of them. I couldn't imagine what they had to endure while enveloped in a great depth of nothing but hard earth and darkness. Trapped and uncertain of their safety. Longing for their loved ones, not knowing if they would ever see each other again.

One 19 year old miner, by the name of Jimmy Sanchez, found his hope and comfort from God as he wrote his message to his family:

"Hi Roxana, I'm very good. I'm not nervous yet. I believe that when my turn comes [to get up on the capsule] nerves will attack me badly. But now I'm happy and calm. I have been always this way. And yes, it's been since August 4th that I have not seen you. That was 2 months and some days ago. But for me, it's like it was yesterday that we got caught here. God wanted me to stay here, I don't know, maybe so I change from now on. I have thought and I have changed a lot. I have suffered too much and don't want to suffer anymore. In the hard moments I was thankful of God because I got a daughter. I expect that when my turn arrives, everything will be ok. Hugs for everyone."

The world cries for these trapped miners. Even more sympathy pours out for the families who are anxiously waiting, day by day, regarding the conditions of their loved ones deep down below. But to hear the crying turned into cheering, rescuers triumphant, and miners emerging from darkness into the light they had not seen in so long, was just too extraordinary to be described. It is "reality tv" at its best. Not edited. Live.

The memory of the crying child waiting for his father who was the 1st miner to come up was etched in my mind. As he broke into tears, of mixed emotions that no one would know what they were about. Of his own fears he had to face as his father did, too. Of the fear of permanent separation that haunted him night after night, as his father must have thought, too. But last night, I knew his sighing and tears were celebration of a new life. Of rebirth. Of the best joy in his life to see his father emerged from the capsule. The way his father must have felt, too.

We forget all of us are trapped, too. In a vast area of darkness for so long. This is reality, too. We are without hope. Without a chance for life. This world is a big prison we are all in together. We have nurtured the seeds of envy, bitterness, lust, lying, greed and other sins that have a good grip on our souls and spirits. Our children did the same, when our sins' consequences, also have an effect on them. But like those trapped miners, some of us discovered that living hope. That joy and a chance for eternal life. Through Jesus. He is the only One Who can pull any trapped sinner from the pit of darkness into light. Into His Light.

May you be found by our Savior Who longs to have a personal relationship with all of us...Because when you make this crucial decision of accepting Him into your heart, remember that your children get affected, too with all the decision you make.



"Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing loveand his wonderful deeds for men." - Psalm 107:19-21

14 comments:

  1. I can't say much to this. So emotional. God bless.

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  2. Their lives will never be the same as "Faith" has increased..Praise the Lord!

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  3. Amazingly awesome post sis, thank you.

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  4. I'm with you.....Their rescue is a miracle and so deeply touching!

    HE IS FAITHFUL!!

    Hugs!
    Jackie

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  5. Oh Rosel....I do cry easily but watching these miners be rescued is just beyond normal tears....Seeing that little boy last night was heart wrenching! I cannot even imagine what these families and men have all been through!!No doubt God has done amazing things in each one!

    Your post is so precious. speaks straight to the Heart and from the Heart of God....just ONE of the many reasons I LOVE you !! Thank you Rosel for ALWAYS being open to what the Spirit is saying!

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  6. Awesome post, Rosel! We are all in darkness until we find Jesus and the picture of the miners and their story speaks to that. The video statistics are so sad.

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  7. Dearest Rosel,
    Words are not good enough to describe what I felt as I read your post. I was also up most of the night following the Chilean miners release from their subterranean dark sweltering prison.

    That letter from the 19 year old miner gripped my heart. In fact one of the fears of the rescuers was the possible panic attack of the miner on the rescue shaft - such a vulnerable, yet tender and gentle moment was each man's release from captivity.

    You have written with such an anointing dear Rosel. Your analogy with the prisons we all go through is so clear. People need the Lord!

    Jesus is the Anointed One who has come to open prison doors and set the captives free.

    The video you posted at the end - what more can anyone say? We all need to stop allowing the enemy to dissipate our time, resources, and efforts by using them for worthless endeavors...we do need to use our God given opportunities and pool our resources and efforts together to help break the cycle.

    Let's see what the Father is doing and join Him!

    Thank you for this post. My heart was deeply moved this morning. May it move me to action.

    Love
    Lidj

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  8. I have been watching a few of them through out the day and evening coming up. This is truly an emotional time for many through out the world. Blessings.

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  9. me too...watching and in awe of the whole thing..their bond to each other..their endurance to survive...their graciousness towards each other...the world cheering for them..their community praying....the whole thing totally amazing.

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  10. Thanks for that post, my sweet friend. Thank God He sets the prisoners free. God bless you for working there and helping them. Hugs ~

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  11. My mother lost her father and her older 17 year old brother in a mining accident in 1927 when she was a girl of 13. It haunts me today how they must have felt and the emotions my grandmother had losing her husband, the household provider and their youngest of two sons. My uncle Louie was in that mine that fateful day. He says he came up for a break and when the mine collapsed he heard the cries of his father and brother. I become very emotional when I hear of a mining accident. I am grateful God did safe the lives of so many. But we can never forget the ones who perish. God is always in control but some days it is so difficult to fathom. Thank you for your kindnesses and visiting me. My sweet son as strep and I hope he will be his old self soon. Hugs and Blessings Anne

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  12. I wish I could have seen each man pulled up. I saw the one where the man said,"I met God and I met the Devil. God won." I hope there is a book written on each man's faith journey (one book).

    You are October's recipient of The Bread Basket Award. Your posts are such an inspiration and encouragement!

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  13. Rosel,
    As I, too, watched that father come up out of that deep, dark hole and I saw the look on his son's face it told the whole story! I was crying then laughing and just felt the Lord's hand in all of this tragedy turned into victory! God is so good - all the time.

    ~Jean

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  14. This is a picture of what God has done for us all. Thank you.

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"Faith is taking the first step even if you don't see the whole staircase..."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

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