I was reading an article a while ago that spoke about sunshine and shadows. It explained that when you walk away from the sun your shadow goes before you, but when you walk toward the sun your shadow follows. The shadow is always there; the direction in which we walk makes the difference. And so it is with our spiritual walks.
When I handle a situation poorly or cause someone unhappiness, it makes me gloomy and sometimes casts a shadow over my entire day. It makes it difficult for me to control what courses through my brain. I know my mind is a battleground for the evil spirit who is working tirelessly to influence my thinking; so, at these times, I pray to stay alert and fight to regain the sunshine in my life. It’s important for me to move toward that sunshine instead of staying in the shadows focusing on my past mistakes or regrets. I need only to turn my face to Jesus, my Sunshine, so the shadows will fall behind.
What goes on in our minds is invisible, undetectable to other people; but God is reading our thoughts continually, searching for evidence of trust in Him. By guarding our minds diligently; good thought-choices will keep us close to Him. When our minds dwell on Jesus as the light, heavenly sunshine can pour into our souls. By letting go of our regrets and keeping busy with God’s work, we will grow in our faith and be a significant part of helping others grow as well.
If we walk away from God, our burdens and regrets cast us deeper into the shadows that go before us; hiding His bright, radiant, life-giving sunshine. If our walk is toward God, and we let the voices in our heads fall behind us as we replace them with the truth found in the Word of God, then He will bring us out of the shadows that are plaguing us; renewing and refreshing us within so that we are empowered to be a refreshment to those around us.
For the Lord God is brighter than the brilliance of a sunrise!
Wrapping himself around me like a shield,
he is so generous with his gifts of grace and glory.
Those who walk along his paths with integrity
will never lack one thing they need, for he provides it all!
~ Psalm 84:11 (TPT)
Jesus is our ultimate source of light, life, and energy. The Apostle Paul said in Acts 17:28, “For in Him we live and move and exist.” (NASB). As we move toward God with a daily commitment to living a righteous life, our paths will be illuminated and the shadows of our regrets and mistakes will be behind; everything will look brighter and it will be so much easier for us to love and enjoy this beautiful and amazing journey called life.
The refrain from “Live in the Sunshine of God's Love” by James Rowe is a great reminder:
Always live in the sunshine, Gleaming from heav’n above;
The blessed glorious sunshine, Of your Redeemer’s love.
Please pray with me ~
All-powerful God and Creator of this world; You are the life-giving sunlight in our lives. Though we may encounter problems in this life, we can rest in the truth of Your Word. Remind us, through Your Holy Spirit, to always walk in Your direction putting our shadows of regrets and mistakes behind us. Amen.
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