Lessons from Shenandoah: Step Inside

July 23, 2025

Two summers ago, my friend Carlton and I took our kids on an adventure that was a little different from what we were used to. Most of our trips involved climbing—whether hiking the steep trail to the top of Hawksbill Mountain or scaling the face of Little Stony Man, secured by harnesses and ropes.

But this time, instead of going up, we went down—beneath the very ground we had hiked for years.

We went caving.

Now, many of you have probably walked the well-lit paths of Luray Caverns, admiring the magnificent stalagmites and stalactites. Years ago, we had done that with our families too. But this time, we wanted something more rugged. No lights. No handrails. No gift shop at the end. Just us, a guide, ropes, and headlamps.

This cave was wild and undeveloped. At times, we descended steep drops using ropes. Other times, we crawled on our bellies through narrow passageways, our helmets scraping the stone above us. Some of us barely fit.

And yes, unlike that polished walk through Luray, we got dirty—really dirty.

Here's a photo of us before we went in.

And if you're wondering where the women were—they wisely stayed back at the campsite. After seeing the “after” photo, they were glad they did!

That day taught me something important.

Just as God invites us to step up the mountain to meet with Him in worship, and step down into the valleys where transformation and mission unfold, He also calls us to step inside—to go deep beneath the surface, into the hidden places of our hearts.

In Matthew 3:3, John the Baptist cries out: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.”

But how do we prepare the way? We step inside.

The prophets Hosea and Jeremiah both use a striking image: “Break up your fallow ground…” (Hosea 10:12, Jeremiah 4:3)

Fallow ground is soil that could be fruitful but has been left untouched, unplowed, and unprepared. It’s hard, resistant, and unyielding—just like parts of our hearts can become.

Jesus builds on this idea in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13). He describes seed falling on different types of ground—some too hard, some too shallow, some full of thorns. Only the good soil produces a lasting harvest.

If we want to bear spiritual fruit, we must break up the hardened soil within us. That means dealing with the stumps and rocks—the deep-rooted sins, habits, and attitudes that block growth. Pride. Bitterness. Lust. Fear. Greed. Worry. These must be rooted out and removed.

It’s not easy. Our spiritual forefathers, when clearing land, had to cut roots, haul stumps, gather stones, and burn brush. It was exhausting work. So is this. But it is necessary if God is to plant something new within us.

To “Step inside” is an invitation to the spiritual discipline of self-examination. Scripture urges us to do this often:

• “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.” —2 Corinthians 13:5

• “Keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law…” —James 1:25

• “Don’t look in the mirror and forget what you saw.” —James 1:23

William Barclay once said: “One of the great neglected duties of the Christian life is self-examination, and maybe it’s neglected because it’s so humiliating.”

And he’s right. When we’re honest, self-examination can be painful. It exposes what we’ve buried, what we’ve justified, and what we’d rather not see.

But it’s also liberating. James Bryan Smith writes: “Every day we must begin anew… The past is written in stone, but the future is like wet cement, ready to be shaped by what we do today.”

When we allow God to turn the soil of our hearts, He can remove what is dead and plant what brings life.

In the movie Facing the Giants, a man tells a coach the story of two farmers who prayed for rain. But only one went out and prepared his fields to receive it. The question he asks is this: “Which one do you think trusted God to send the rain?”

We must do the same. Prepare the soil of your soul.

Plow the hard ground.Clear the rocks.Burn the thorns.Open your heart.

Yes, it will be hard. Yes, it will get messy.

When we emerged from that cave, we were tired and filthy. But we had been changed. And when you “step inside” spiritually—digging deep with honesty and humility—you may not like everything you find, but God will meet you there.

Ephesians 4:22–24 says: “Everything connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! Then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, renewed from the inside…”

That’s the promise: that after the breaking, after the digging, comes the growth - “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown” (Matthew 13:8).

Don’t be afraid. Trust the One who leads you into the depths of your own heart. He will not leave you there.

So go ahead. Step inside.

Let God do His deep, transformative work.

And when you emerge—tired, maybe a little messy—you’ll come into the light stronger, freer, and more ready to walk the path He’s prepared for you.