Shadows

Light and dark...total opposites, but they function so well together don't they? Can you remember how you first learned about the contrast between light and dark? Maybe you were a child on a warm summer night watching as fireflies danced in the distance. Maybe you were afraid of the dark and used a flashlight to peer under your bed. Maybe you loved to make shadow puppets on the wall as you learned that a light in the dark could help you? Wasn't it fun to use your hands and fingers to form all sorts of funny shapes and characters? Light and dark...shadows...

On hot Summer days, I always enjoy late afternoon the best. While I enjoy sitting out in the warmth of the sun, it can get pretty toasty in South Georgia! As the sun moves across the sky, shadows begin to fall. If I'm sitting out on my little porch, I'll often move my chair so that it sits in the deep shadow of a tall pine tree. Just being in the shadow for a few minutes can provide a nice drop in temperature. Shadows never stay the same. They're always moving and changing, shifting with the sun. The comfort that we seek from the shadow's shade is temporary at best. Shadows make very fickle friends.

While some shadows provide much needed escape from the hot summer sun, others are not so kind. Just a week ago, I saw a shadow that evoked fear and dread in my heart. The shadow was a foreboding one, the darkness on an ultrasound screen. This shadow was not my friend. This shadow was the dreaded enemy Cancer. This shadow will not move unless it is forced to leave by a surgeon's knife.

But there is another shadow I'd like to tell you about. This shadow is one that never shifts, never, moves, never changes. This shadow is compassionate, merciful, holy, and just. This shadow is completely filled with love. What kind of shadow is this, you ask? It's the shadow of the Almighty God.

In Psalm 91, we read "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the SHADOW of the Almighty." This shadow is one that I long to abide in every day of my life. The shadow of the Almighty provides protection, security, and comfort. This shadow never changes with the passing of hours, days or years.

Today I'll meet with my breast surgeon. She's going to show me that menacing shadow again, the one I first saw last week. We'll discuss how best to eliminate that shadow from my breast. Of course, I'll trust her judgment because she's a well trained medical professional and has experience dealing with shadows like this on a daily basis. As we pour over lab results, mammogram films, ultrasound images, and pathology notes, I'll be basking in the warmth of my Savior's light while at the same time, resting in His shadow. Of course the doctor won't have a clue, but Jesus knows and as His protective shadow falls over me, I will lift up my eyes with thanks knowing that He is always the shade at my right hand. The sun will not harm me by day nor the moon by night as the Bible says in Psalm 121. I will remember that He who watches over me will not slumber or sleep. He will keep me from all harm and watch over my life. Nothing is ever a surprise to Him, even if it is to me. He has numbered my days and I know that I can trust Him with my future. Isn't it amazing how shadows disappear in the presence of a very bright light? I'm just watching and waiting for that glow to appear today...I know it's coming!

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