Shadows

Did you ever stop to think that the only time we see shadows is when the sun shines or

when there's a light on??

Wherever there is a shadow there has to first be light!

There is no shadow without light!

There is no variableness nor shadow of turning with him.

(James 1:17)

I love driving down a tree-lined road on a sunny day and seeing all the shadows. There is something very beautiful to me in that sight. Years ago my husband and I visited St Simons Island in Georgia, a beautiful, mostly undeveloped island (or at least it was at the time). One of the most beautiful memories I have of that island are the shadows cast by the live oak trees you will find there. These trees are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Their branches don't just go straight up or straight across, they twist and turn and usually there is a lot of Spanish moss hanging off the branches. They cast breathtaking shadows. I found a peace and a tranquility in those shadows.

I think we can find a peace and a tranquility in the shadows of our lives, too, because we know the Son is shining just beyond the shadows. When a shadow crosses your path, be reminded that the sun is just beyond. We don't have to stay in the shadows.

When something enters into your path of light and casts a shadow, that might be a reminder that there is something that needs our attention. Remember, the sun doesn't create the shadow, the object that crosses before it does.

What in your life is casting a shadow upon the Son's shine? Is there something you have put before Him or is there something you've taken on to worry about that casts a shadow in your heart? Are you having a problem letting go?

Scripture tells us:

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,......"

Exodus 20:2-5a

An idol in our hearts will certainly cast a shadow in our lives. The good thing about shadows is they are temporary and change with the position of the sun. So, when we allow more Son in our lives, the shadows change and dissipate.

As we drive down the road away from the trees and come to an open field, the sun is unhindered and shines brightly. Let us "drive away" from those things in our lives that cast a shadow and come out into the "open field" of His love and forgiveness, where His brightness shines freely into our lives. 

Shadows may be beautiful to look at, but we don't want to live in them permanently!!