“Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.” –Walt Whitman, American poet
I love the interplay of light and shadow.
Maybe it’s because I live in the desert that shadow is such a welcome sight. Shade equals being cooler, so I make a beeline for the reprieve it offers.
But that shadow wouldn’t be possible without the light. And light, in turn, would be less noticeable without the shadows. That’s another thing I learned living in the desert. With hundreds of sunny days throughout the year, it becomes commonplace and not worth noting—something my friends in colder and rainier climates can’t imagine.
Sunshine and shadows are interspersed throughout our days. Not just in our physical worlds, but in our mental and spiritual ones, too.
There are the sunny days: Laughter with friends, promotions at work, an engagement or birth, and love.
Then there are the cloudy days: Bad news from doctors, lost loved ones, and struggles with finances, addiction, and faith.
Unlike with the hot desert weather, the shadows from these clouds bring no relief. Only stress and fear and pain.
How can we turn our backs on the shadows and let the sunshine fall upon our faces? How can we bring our focus away from the pain and difficulties in life and place it on the light and good?
Feel the sunshine on your face
I can easily get wrapped up in my fears and worries. I can spend so much time looking over my shoulder at what went wrong or staring into the distance to try to discern what bad things might be coming, that I have no idea what’s right in front of me—until I trip over it.
But most opportunities and beautiful moments won’t fall into our laps—or tangle under our feet—so we need to keep our faces turned to the light. Otherwise, that light will be missed, and we will be missing out.
FOMO (fear of missing out) is often attributed to missing out on experiences or social events or things of this world that aren’t necessarily worth being anxious about. But what if we feared missing out on God’s light? On His promises and blessings?
When you turn in the wrong direction, you miss out on what you can’t see. Facing the past or staring too deeply into the future leaves you blind to the sunlight that could be warming your face right now.
The light that gives you strength to survive the diagnosis, the heartbreak, the loss, and the uncertainty. The light that illuminates the new job, the loving spouse, the healthy kids, and the faithful God already in your life.
So face the light in your life and put the shadows behind you. Watch how far they stretch away from you in the face of the light God focuses on you and through you.
Have a blessed Monday!
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