Like the rest of the world, I was captivated by the impressive rescue of the Chilean miners trapped thousands of feet below the earth's surface for 69 days. In a world where a lot of these kinds of things often turn out badly, it was heartwarming to see a rescue plan that worked.

There are lots of angles on a story like this. The resiliance of the miners and their belief that they would be rescued. The resolve of the mining company and the Chilean government to get every man out alive. The unabashed joy of the rescuers and the families as the miners emerged on the surface one by one. All of these mini-dramas within the larger story made for great theater.

As I watched the drama unfold, I was happy for the miners, but I couldn't help but think about sin. Not the sin of the miners or anyone else involved in the story, but a metaphor for sin and how God has put together a rescue plan for each one of us. When you consider all the elements involved in the mine ordeal, it's easy to draw some parallels. Think about it:

• The miners were trapped in darkness with no hope of escape. There's nothing they could have done to get themselves to safety no matter how hard they tried.
• Their only hope was from outside their world, a vast cavern designed to sustain life for a while but not for good.
• When help came, it was through a means they neither asked for nor expected--a single capsule designed to take one miner at a time. No group rates. No tag alongs.
• Although instructions were conveyed to the miners as to how the rescue plan would work, each miner had to commit to the device and effectively put his trust in something outside his control. I doubt there were miners who said, "How arrogant of them to offer us only one way to be saved!"
• As each miner was brought from darkness to the light, there was great rejoicing.
• The president of Chile, Sebastian Pinera, personally greeted each rescued miner with a hug, as if to say, "Welcome home!." What he actually did say after the last miner was brought to the surface was even better: "We have lived a magical night, a night we will remember throughout our lives, a night in which life defeated death."
• The total number of miners rescued was 33. (Too much? Okay, I admit I pushed the metaphor a bit too far.)

You get the picture. Every one of us at one point in our lives is like a miner trapped in an underground cavern with no hope of escape. There's only one way out, and each of us has to make a choice: do we get in the capsule for a ride into the light, or do we remain in darkness? There's no other option. Stay behind and die or trust the device and live.