Not too many years ago, I traveled to Slovakia to conduct a pastors’ retreat for a friend of mine. While I was there, I had the opportunity to take a tour of a cavern formed deep inside a mountain. My friend insisted that it was a sight I had to see. He neglected to tell me that it was a hike of 990 steps to the bottom depths of the river below! As we progressed deeper into the mountain, our tour guide turned on lights in each cavern chamber we entered so that we would be able to find our way. The stalactites and stalagmites were awesome, but nothing compared to the revelation that lay ahead. Eventually we reached the particular cavern through which an underground river flowed. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Our tour guide told us that this river produced some of the healthiest water in the world. She said that people traveled from all over Europe just to come and drink the water that flowed from this mountain. The valley from which the river exited the mountain and flowed onto was one of the richest, most lush areas of Slovakia and produced the finest fruits and vegetables. When questioned as to why this particular river was able to produce such life-giving qualities, the tour guide responded that it was because of the mineral content in the water that came from rich mineral deposits inside the mountain. She then asked everyone to stand still, and she turned out the lights. For ten seconds, we stood in utter darkness. I could not see my hand in front of my face. When she finally turned the lights back on, she explained, “One reason this water is so pure is that nothing—no bacteria, no pollutants—live in the river as long as it flows in this utter darkness. Life is produced only as the river flows out of the mountain into the light!”
Jack Frost