Ways to See Telltale Shadows of Faith
Shadows fascinate me. They’re always with us no matter how hard we to try to get rid of them. However, we can make them seem to disappear if we change our relationship to the light.
If the light is in front of us, where does the shadow fall? It falls behind us. If the light is behind us, where does the shadow rest? It rests in front of us. If the light is above us, where is the shadow? It disappears. Where the shadow goes is determined by our relationship to the light source.
The Light of the World
Consider our relationship with the Jesus Christ, the light of the world, our spiritual light (John 8:12). If God is before us and our attention is focused on him and his light, the shadow (our worries, troubles, struggles) metaphorically and literally fall behind us, out of our sight, no matter how strong they may be. They’re still with us, for there are both light and shadows within us, but they are not the main focus of our attention. The strong light of the Lord’s presence casts them behind us.
If his light falls behind us, as we change our focus from the light of the Lord and become distracted by lesser lights, the lights of the world, the shadow falls in front of us, and we are more apt to concentrate on what’s in the shadow, the worries, concerns, troubles, and struggles, the shadows within us. As we turn from the strong light of the Lord, their influence becomes stronger.
The Light Will Consume the Shadows
If we immerse ourselves in the light of the Lord throughout our day, as we might under an afternoon sun directly above us, our perspective in our work, our play, or our leisure, is one in which the internal emotional and spiritual shadows will be consumed by the light, by the Lord.
The shadows within us and surrounding us will still be there, ready to launch themselves to the foreground, but our focus on the Lord and our relationship with him, keeps them where they belong in the Lord’s way of looking at things, God’s perspective.
The Lord's Word and It's Light
If we keep the Lord’s Word before us with the power and light it provides, we’ll look within us and around us with the mind of Christ, with a God perspective. Indeed, even as the shadows in the valley of death move towards us, they’re kept in perspective as he lights our way, for his Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.
Additional reading:
Listen to God's Words
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2)
To shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the path of peace. (Luke 1:79)
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1-5)
Also read: Psalm 23:4, Job 12:22, Colossians 2:17
In the Words of Others
“There is a strong shadow when there is much light.” Johann Wolfgang Goethe
“The true essence of the soul is revealing when we embrace the light and shadows within ourselves.”
Dee Waldeck
“You have to be transparent so you no longer cast a shadow but instead let the light pass through you.” Kamand Kojouri
Think About It
The next time you’re outside and the sun is shining, notice how the position of your shadow changes when you change your position in relation to the sun. Reflect on how it applies to your relationship with God.
Identify the shadows that darken you within, and reflect on how the light provided by Jesus Christ through the Word, can help you overcome them, and even make them disappear.
Consider the shadows in the world that distract you from focusing on your relationship with Jesus Christ, and how you can change to bathe in his light, and not in the darkness.
Comments