Singholes
At 430 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea ranks as the lowest land-based elevation on Earth. Fed by the Jordan River, and meager runoff from the rocky terrain that cradles it, the Dead Sea is known as a taker that never gives. Since 1960, the water capacity of the Dead Sea has decreased with each passing year. It is wrapped in a salty ribbon of desolation that has begun giving way from beneath the surface in massive sinkholes. I witnessed the devastation while touring the Holy Land with my husband and 30 other believers. As our tour bus hugged the shore of the Dead Sea, acres of dead date tree plantations scattered the horizon. The receding shoreline of the Dead Sea causes deep cracks to form in the hard soil allowing water from the lake and runoff from the surrounding mountains to make its way into massive subterranean salt pockets. The salt is then flushed away over time causing the soil layer above to collapse. For a short period of time, before the entire area is consumed by a hungry sinkhole, a grim indicator of the destruction to come is evident in the dead and dying surface vegetation. Once the date farmers see the first signs of death, they abandon the operation and move on. There is no way to halt or correct the erosion at that point. All is lost.
Have you ever looked at a loved one, friend, coworker, or yourself and seen signs something wasn’t right below the surface. When our faith in God recedes, the fragile surface of our lives that is meant for baring fruit dries up. Big cracks form, and before we know it, erosion begins to eat away at our core. Ofttimes, a total collapse is the result. And, just like sinkholes, anything located in close proximity finds itself pulled into the dark depths as collateral damage. Dead Sea sinkholes are unforgiving, but spiritual sinkholes can be corrected. There is no empty hole in our lives that the Holy Spirit can’t and won’t fill to restoration if we simply ask. All is never lost with God’s Grace!
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
