As I crawled through the Cu Chi tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City, I found myself, for one of the rare moments in my life, thankful for my petite frame. The 80-foot-long tunnel had been widened and lit at a few spots for tourists like me, but it was still a narrow, confined space that felt claustrophobic even for a smaller person.

The Cu Chi tunnel tour was at the top of our agenda when I met friends in Vietnam last week. Well, for me, it came third, right after 1. Drown yourself in steaming bowls of flavorful Pho and 2. Drink Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk like your life depended on it. The pho and coffee didn’t disappoint, nor did the adventure in the tunnels.

The Cu Chi tunnels were created during the Vietnam War by the Viet Cong guerrilla. Essentially, the tunnels were part of a vast underground network where the soldiers hid during combat.

Despite the dark, cramped space, unhygienic conditions, outbreak of diseases, and even lack of air in the tunnels, the North Vietnamese soldiers continued to use these tunnels as an important part of their military strategy.

In the Bible, too, we run into Christians who preferred to hide. In John 12, we hear of Jewish leaders who believed in Jesus, but “they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.”

Like the Viet Cong guerrillas, for these leaders during the time of Jesus, concealing their faith was a part of their self-made survival strategy. Why did they choose to hide? John’s gospel is clear. It was not because of persecution. It was simply because of praise. These guys “loved human praise more than praise from God.”(John 12:43)

While it’s easy to shake my head in disapproval, as a believer in Christ, I sometimes find myself hiding in tunnels of my own making. Again, it’s not because of persecution that I resort to an “underground” faith. Sometimes, I choose to hide in the shadows rather than expose my faith. I don’t want to be labelled as narrow-minded, or stupid, or backward, or a killjoy. I’d rather be lauded for my generic “kindness” than be seen as some unbalanced Jesus freak.

But in the very same chapter of John, while the leaders cower in fear, there’s a lady who bows down in faith. Mary of Bethany breaks a bottle of expensive perfume and pours it on Jesus’ feet. It’s a bold act of worship. It’s an extravagant gesture of devotion. But it also exposed her to ridicule. It made her vulnerable to criticism. But Mary’s faith didn’t revolve around people’s approval. It rested at Jesus’ feet. She didn’t adopt a life of “balance”—she wholly leaned on Jesus.

Mary’s faith was far from hidden. She didn’t dig a tunnel to keep herself “safe” from criticism and censure.  She dug deep into her resources to anoint Jesus while He was still with them.

Friend, I don’t know where you are in your faith walk. But none of us are immune to wanting people’s praise rather than God’s approval. The tunnels we dig may keep us “safe” for a while, but they also stifle us. In the dark tunnels of a furtive faith, we risk fruitlessness. Without the air for our faith to breathe, it may turn into embers.

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