In the shadows

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2 ESV) Have you ever noticed that the shadow of something is usually a lot larger than the actual object? Small things can look like big things when they are blocking the light. I've noticed lately that the same can be true for anything in our lives. I went to bed a few weeks ago feeling burdened by something that I couldn't put my finger on. It finally dawned on me that I was feeling burdened because I had spent the week worrying about something but hadn't taken the time to pray about it. The problem was getting larger than it actually was, the way a shadow is sometimes larger than the object. The same was true for me last year when I was struggling with anxiety. I made the problem bigger than God. One of the best sermons that I've listened to is by Tony Evans and it's called, Why God Allows Your Crisis. In that sermon he says you should "never let your feelings sit in judgement over your faith." So often we let our feelings run wild and forget that God is bigger than anything we are facing. We let our thoughts, fears, situations, etc. block His light. Instead of seeing His light, we fix our eyes on the shadows. But our answers don't lie in the shadows. When the darkness threatens to swallow us, we don't have to let it. We may not know how to fix it but we can pray about it and choose to trust in the God who created us. 2 Chronicles 20:12 says, "...We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you" (ESV). I love everything about that verse- he admits he has no idea how to fix their problem, and he sets his eyes on the One who does! When those feelings of dread and that burden suddenly feels heavy, evaluate your thoughts. Are you worrying about something more than you are praying about it? I know that for many of us right now the object blocking the light is large and the shadow it is casting is bigger still. So let's remind ourselves how big our God is- “Behold I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27 ESV). He’s got this. He’s got me, He’s got you. Let's not waste another minute staring at the darkness, but let's fix our eyes on Him. Our perspective is limited but He sees the big picture and even when it doesn’t feel like it, He is in control. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:38, ESV, emphasis mine). Let’s intentionally choose to rest in the light of His control and not in the darkness of the shadow. Friends, turn around, look up, the Son is always shining. He doesn’t leave us, and that shadow you see- it’s not larger than the Light that it’s trying to block.