Shadows....

Shadows

When you think of shadows, 
   what are your thoughts?

Phantoms, alternated forms, darkness, and words like gloom and unhappiness arise if it is a day when your glass is half full.





It's that time of the year.  The weather turns cool.  Jack-o-lanterns, scare-crows, wispy ghost figures, and frightening masks fill the store shelves and your neighbors' front porches.

Children anticipate Halloween.

On Trick-or-Treat night, shadows lurk everywhere...  Most of them dressed in costumes and carrying candy buckets.  

When I was little and alone, shadows scared me.  With the moon creeping through an upstairs window at night and tree branches scratching the outside walls of the house, goosebumps spread on my arms and legs as the shadows scattered across my bedroom floor. 

Shadows gave rise to thoughts of other creatures.  None of them warm and fuzzy.

I had a night-time ritual.  Getting down on my hands and knees, I would flip back the chenille bedspread to watch the dust bunnies scatter.  Determining it was safe under the bed, I would go to the closet.  Taking a deep breath, I would grasp the handle, turn it quietly, and then whip the door open.  Checking all the corners and shelves and finding nothing, I re-closed the door tightly so nothing could get out.

I outgrew this ritual--thankfully.

However, shadows of a different nature pursued me as I journeyed life.

worry

doubt

disappointment

sickness

loneliness

resentment

rejection

guilt

     We live in a fear-based world, a world where bad news travels at light speed and good news doesn't. . . . These are troubled times, times when we have legitimate fears for the future, our nation, our world, and our families.... (Day 165, 365 Daily Devotions for Women)

Tribulation

without trust in an almighty God

separates us

from Him.

...but as Christians we have every reason to live courageously.

Keep your face always toward the sunshine. . . and shadows will fall behind you.  Walt Whitman

On another day, perhaps a day filled with joy moments, you may think of a shadow as a reflected image or an inseparable companion or follower.

Consider another definition--

   --an area where direct light from a light source can not reach due to obstruction by an object . . . at certain times of day, the lengths of shadows change. 

Can we be the "obstruction" to God's light desiring to shine on  us?  Are there times when we allow our shadows to lengthen? 

It is easy to become so wrapped up in our shadows that we fail to seek God's guidance and therefore miss out on the peace that comes only from God.

I have set before you

life and death,

blessing and curse.

Choose life . . .

and remain faithful

to Him.

Deut. 30:19

Say goodbye to your shadows, 
whatever they may be.

Decide to trust.

Let go and let God.

Dear God,

May I reflect your image.  May I be your inseparable companion and follower.  May I never let the shadows in my life separate me from your grace and eternal promise.  
Amen

After all, the ultimate battle has already been fought and won on that faraway cross at Calvary.  (365 Daily Devotions) 

Wishing you fall joy.

Happy Birthday

It's my birthday today, and I went to a funeral.
Although one might think there are better things to do on one's birthday, I have to disagree (at least for today).
We celebrate birthdays because we are celebrating life--another year to remember, another year to look forward to. Is it any different in death? .... memories galore and eternal life to look forward to.
Funerals have always helped me re-establish my priorities.
I find myself asking, why am I getting all tied up in knots over the little things in life when there is more ....
More of what, you may ask.
Think about what brings you peace and contentment, these are "more" things. It may be different for each of us, but we each do know what gives us a sense of what is good in life.
A dear friend gave me a plaque after my father's death. It reads...

Our family is a circle of strength and love;

founded on faith; joined in love;

 kept by God; forever together.

It could read.... My friends are a circle of strength and love; founded on faith; joined in love; kept by God; forever together.

Love God.
Love your brother.
Love your fellow man.

What If?

What if you lived your life in complete abandonment*, what would that look like for you?

*The word "abandonment" is not often used except in the case of neglect, casting away, leaving or deserting. The definition I believe the questioner desired was -- to yield oneself without restraint or moderation, to give oneself over to natural impulses.

The question intrigued me. What if? My first visions were of me walking along a sandy beach, waves tossed lightly about by the wind, and the sound of string instruments floating near by. It was lunch time. Grilled fish, fresh fruits and vegetables were waiting along with some delectable dark chocolate concoction. I would eat seaside--of course.

Next, I pictured myself visiting friends afar--Arizona, Colorado, California; my brother in New Mexico. I would attend a writer's conference or several. I would get a massage once a week, swim twice a week... and more...

But reality kicked in and I realized that if I did ALL this, my world-as-I-know-it now would probably collapse and, then, I'd have to deal with that. Not a good picture.

So, I scrapped the pretending until my mind fiddled a bit more with this idea of living in complete abandonment. Okay, I can't seem to get swimming in twice a week, but I will squeeze it in whenever I can and not feel badly because I have no routine with my exercise. I can start wearing funky clothes if I really want to. After all, family and friends will get used to it.

Yes, I can do some of these things. But, in my heart-of-hearts, I know that none of this matters unless I'm connected to our Creator God who has a plan for each of us. Just maybe living in complete abandonment would mean shouting out praises of joy wherever you are and whenever you feel like it.

 I leave you with the verse from Jeremiah 29:
 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Pray. Give praise. Always. Amen.

Different? How so....

 

What do a homeless person from the streets of Fort Worth and an upscale art dealer have in common? Like non-fiction? I recommend the book, Same Kind of Different as Me.
If you want to change your life, go out and meet someone new. Get outside that tiny box, called self, you've been hibernating in and move. Move towards the one who needs someone like you to be a part of his or her life.

Scary? Perhaps.

Easy? Probably not.

Why? Why not?

Through the encouragement of his wife, Ron Hall, steps outside his comfort zone in the world of art, and starts feeding the homeless in inner city Fort Worth. He meets a homeless man, Denver, and his world evolves in ways he could never have imagined.

A book editor once told me that I seem to want to write about the "messiness" of life. Well, think about it. It's out there. All over, wherever we go. We See In a Mirror Dimly is about mental illness. The Secret Is is about poverty and learning disabilities. All the Rivers Run Into the Sea is about dysfunctional relationships,Thou Shalt Not is about murder and more. Do Not Be Deceived is about family abuse and poverty.

The Same Kind of Different as Me, caused me to think about those who are often neglected and even scorned because of poverty and the unknown reasons they arrived at this state in their lives. It caused me to think about death, why we are here, and how I may go forward in my own life in a more purposeful way.

Different? We each are capable of hate, fear, frustration, disappointment, and, yes, even, love. We all yearn for something greater than ourselves, a place where there is no hate, fear, frustration, disappointment. A place where there is only love. Are we really so different from each other?

Love God.
Love your fellow man.

 

He is the God of mighty angels.

He is a friend of mine.


It's a Small World

When we use the phrase, "It's a small world...," we usually mean that we have come in contact with someone we know in an unexpected place. Or, we meet someone new who knows someone we already know.


Recently, I have thought of
"It's a small world" in another context.

While flying home from Houston, TX, I visited with my two seat partners. Norma, a grandmother, was flying to Minneapolis to meet her daughter. Norma came to American in 2007 from Liberia "to flee war and disease."

Max, a young man from Nigeria, was flying to Minneapolis for a bachelor party for his best buddy. Max, a student, played football for a small college in the Midwest.

I grew up on a farm in the Midwest in the 1950-60s--miles from everything--except neighboring farmers. We did not meet persons of a different race, color, language, or even dialect. As a child, I was not even aware of this--except for the Sunday School pamphlet proclaiming "Jesus loves the little children of the world" and showing yellow, red, black and white ... "we are precious in his sight."

As I child, if someone would have told me... someday you will fly in an airplane and sit with two people from Africa, I would have been speechless.

What does this have to do with anything?
I'm not sure...
I do know that I have a bit of an itch to reach out to others-- those persons from my past I haven't seen in a long time and those persons I have yet to meet.

We are all connected in some great, universal way.
We are one in the spirit; we are one in the Lord.
Someday, we will understand what we need to understand.
Meanwhile--
Love God.
Love one another.

Need a good read? Same Kind of Different as Me... by Ron Hall and Denver Moore