The Way Back

Chapter 1
Introduction
The more life there is flowing into us, the greater our strength will be to bounce back, to have a fighting chance to survive both the expected and unexpected storms of life. Giving ourselves this fighting chance will require that we build into our lives certain practices that can help sustain us during dark times. — Joe Gorman
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.—Matthew 11:29–30
Certain news stories have the power to captivate a nation, particularly those involving dramatic rescues. One such story unfolded in the spring of 1991, deep within Lechuguilla Cave, located in southern New Mexico. The cave, believed to be the nation’s deepest, is 1,565 feet deep and more than fifty-five miles long. Emily Mobley, a seasoned spelunker from New York, was part of a five-person team surveying a new section of the cave about 1,000 feet below the surface, when she fell from a ledge. An eighty-pound boulder broke loose and crashed down with her, crushing her leg on impact.Fortunately, one of her teammates was a medic. He immediately put an inflatable splint on her broken leg and stayed with her while the others rushed to get help. Because she was trapped almost two miles from the cave’s entrance, just getting rescue teams to her remote location took twenty-six hours. Once they arrived, they had to divide into two units. One stayed with Emily and the other plowed ahead, rigging a complex system of ropes and pulleys that stretched a mile long.The ordeal was no small feat. There were narrow passageways, and sometimes rescuers had to pass her overhead, hand to hand. At one point, she had to be hauled up a 185-foot subterranean cliff on a stretcher and later maneuvered across a forty-foot chasm, appropriately named Freakout Traverse.The operation took four days and involved more than two hundred people, including volunteers from the cave project and staff from the National Parks Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and other agencies. But because of her strength and resolve, she lived to tell the story. And now she’s able to teach others how to rescue those trapped in a cave.
There’s Nowhere to Go but Up
My experience with caves is fairly limited; I’ve only explored them on guided tours. But I can understand why people find caves so fascinating and enjoy exploring them; their beauty is breathtaking. However, the thought of being trapped in one is pretty scary. I tend to be claustrophobic, so even during tours, I’ve always tried to avoid areas that were too cramped. That’s why I’m so impressed by Emily’s story; she had to endure for such a long time in a confined space. Those who were with her reported that she stayed coolheaded during the ordeal, which is saying something.The Lechuguilla Cave rescue was not the first cave rescue, nor was it the last. Over the years, numerous explorers have found themselves trapped deep underground, needing help to escape life-threatening situations.But caves aren’t the only places where people get stuck. Sometimes in life we can feel just as trapped—by our own struggles with addiction, by the hurts we’ve experienced, or by difficult circumstances beyond our control. And just like those explorers, we need help to find our way out. Whether it’s being trapped in a cave or trapped by difficulties in life, one truth remains the same: The only way out is up.You may have picked up this book because you find yourself at a crossroads, feeling trapped by what you are facing in life. You feel like you’ve lost it all, unsure of what to do or who to turn to. Or maybe you haven’t hit rock bottom but you see yourself starting to spiral out of control and fear that if something doesn’t change, you’ll lose everything and everyone close to you. Whatever the case, know this: You are not alone in this battle. I’ve been in recovery for many years and have heard countless testimonies of lives being changed by God’s grace. Each testimony reminds me that if he can change someone else’s life, he can change mine. And he can change yours too!I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t pretend to have it all together in my own life either. But one thing’s for sure: I know one who does. The God who made the world and everything in it wants to bring healing and wholeness to our lives. The journey begins when we make the decision to finally stop running and instead surrender our lives and our wills to him.