Vol. 17 No. 47 | November 23, 2015
Maybe it was because it was a beautiful and cool fall-early winter afternoon. Maybe it because it was Friday afternoon. Maybe it was because the sun was going down and casting long shadows from the evergreens, the oaks, and the maples. Maybe it was the music I was listening. Maybe it was just a fluke. Maybe it was my age and where I am in life. Whatever the reason, this afternoon walk was a time of reflection on the week that was ending, the people I had interacted with, the sermon I was formulating for Sunday, and the next article I would write.
The combination of the angel of the setting sun and the shadows being cast by the trees across the hills the open fields, the ponds, and the path where I was walking was too much for this amateur photographer to resist from my thoughts and snapping a few quick shots from my phone. The old club house, pro shop, tennis court, and pool house are gone. The difference in the landscape is amazing. The leaves that two weeks ago were spectacular in color have mostly turned brown, blown away, leaving the trees embarrassingly bare. From the shadows in the distance down the hill a deer stood motionless to make sure I did not move in her direction.
Having reached the end of my outward walk I was on the way back when I stopped to get this one shot across the water with the sun to my back. Focused on the pond and the hillside in the distance I did not notice until that snapshot included my shadow long and stretched thin in the foreground of the picture. It captured the afternoon perfectly. “What a long shadow I am casting this afternoon!” I thought.
As Jesus walked the earth His shadow, His presence, brought good news to the poor, freedom to the imprisoned, restored sight to the blind, and release for the oppressed. He brought life to lifeless, hope to the hopeless, and joy to the joyless. His shadow, His presence, fell upon the angry, the hurting, the lonely, the sinful, the broken, and the forgotten. His shadow, His presence, was significant and make a difference in the life of all who will allow it.
That image coupled with those thoughts, nudged my pondering from an image of a shadow on the ground to the shadow of my life. What kind of shadow have I cast with the life I have lived? What kind of shadow do I cast with the life I am living now? As the light of the Son shines over me does my shadow impact another life for the better? Is the life I am living providing a moment of beauty, a moment of peace, a moment of encouragement, a moment of joy for those whose lives I am touching? Or, it is just a shadow?
I wondered about my shadow, my presence. What impact is my shadow, my presence, having on those around me? Do those upon whom my shadow falls, sense a peace in me that passes understanding? Do those upon whom my shadow falls feel a presence that will bring refreshment to their souls? Are those upon whom my shadow falls aware of the presence of God?
Today my shadow will be cast across more lives than I can fathom. Yours will too. May the shadow we cast bring good news to the poor, freedom to the imprisoned, restored sight to the blind, and release for the oppressed. May the shadow we cast this week offer life to lifeless, hope to the hopeless, and joy to the joyless. May the shadow we cast, may our presence, fall upon the angry, the hurting, the lonely, the sinful, the broken, and the forgotten in a way that is significant make a difference in their lives.
Tom
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.