Waiting in the shadows.

     It's hard to fathom the difference of what is seen and not seen when you are either standing in the light or standing in the darkness.  One thing for certain is both present shadows to us.  It's not a hallucination and I'm not high on drugs (legal or otherwise).  I remember on a particular camping trip standing outside the campfire and being able to see all that was going on in the camp area.  But, no one could see me.  The light blinded them from seeing me.  When I stepped into the light I was illumined and people could see me...vaguely at first then more clearly as I came closer.  When I turned around all I saw was blackness even though I knew there were trees and rocks and trails out there.  We know what is out there and we are either captivated by it or we fear that blackness.  Looking from the darkness into light and light into darkness prevents us from seeing the rest of the picture.  There are shadows that are always there in either situation.  The shadows come from different projections of amount of light or darkness away from itself.  I'm enthralled with the beginning of time.  Imagine a world yet to be formed.  The Bible tells us that there was darkness but God said, "Let there be light!" and there was.  Wow!  Then he differentiated the light of the day and the light of night.  Wow!  Eventually, after the fall we would see that the light was still there and darkness was as well.  Their identities had changed.  We are to be people of the light and not people of the darkness or the shadow.
     Pure light is difficult to take in.  We cannot look directly into the bright sunshine without damaging our eyes.  Nor can we do good straining to see in the darkness of the night.  We weren't meant to do either one.  We are designed to reflect that which is hidden inside of our hearts, minds and souls.  For some people there is a reflection of darkness.  For others, the light of the Lord is our reflection.  Since I am a sinner and saved by grace you would think that I would be the reflection of light.  I'm more like the reflection of shadows as I'm still a sinner and not perfect.  That's the way it is going to be until I pass from here to there.  Until that time I can engage change brought about by the Holy Spirit or revert to darkness by the way of the god of this world, Satan.  The choices are there for all of us.  How much light we project and how much darkness we take in are all determined by the "what goes in, comes out" nature of our selves.  If we take in the darkness then no light can shine.  When we take in light the darkness recedes and is illuminated.  Sanctification is the process of the light revealing the darkness and pushing it out of ourselves by repentance and continually looking at the light.  When we look directly at the light of God we cannot see anything else.  The illumination is so great that we do not dare stray away from the light.  When we look away, we do just that.  We stray away from God.
     As I look at the light from the darkness I can see everything that is illuminated.  I cannot see what is in the shadows.  There lurks the danger and the deception.  What looks good may not be good at all.  What lures us to the shadow is less than the light.  Always been and always will be.  If we fill our minds with shadow things (secular, worldly, evil) we will lose that illumination that Christ intended us to have and be.  The more we engage the world around us the less we are that light upon a hill and more like a light under a bushel basket.  For some the light inside has become more like a small flicker.  Some even seem to have let the light go out.  If we are in Christ, the light lives within us to the degree that we focus on Him.   The less we choose to live Christ's life the more we live the world's life.  There is no in between.  There is no fence.  There is one or the other.  Moment by moment and hour by hour we are faced with this choice of living in the light or living in the darkness by the shadows we choose.  The shadows are sin.  Something made to be chosen for those who look for fulfillment outside the realm of Christianity.  It's always our choice.  What is your choice?