If you have been paying attention to any media sources in the past two months, then you know the stats ~ 33 Chilean minors buried 69 days 2,000 feet underground after 700,000 tons of rock collapsed their mine shaft. For the first 17 agonizing days it wasn't even known if these men were dead or alive. But they held fast to hope. Their country held fast to hope. And this week the men are breathing fresh air thanks to an amazing rescue by their countrymen.
To everyone's amazement, the men surfaced looking healthier and in better spirits than expected. The second miner to be rescued, Mario Sepulveda, put it this way, "I think I had extraordinary luck. I was with God and with the devil. And I reached out for God."
He reached out for God. He kept the faith that his is an exceptional God who cares intimately about each one of His children. He kept the faith that his is a God who would not desert him in times of trouble. He kept the faith that he was in God's hands and would surrender to His will.
Having faith is tough when times seem grim. Keeping hope is tough when times seem hopeless. In my own strength I am not capable of rescuing myself from every affliction, stress and worry that comes my way. But I can choose to have faith and keep hope if I turn my eyes upward to God instead of downward on my circumstances.
Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? (James 2:5)
My hat is off to the 33 miners who survived their ordeal, to the men who orchestrated their rescue, to the families who did not give up on their loved ones, to a country who believed in miracles. Everyday heroes. May they all be richly blessed by the experience.
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