Snow in the Shadows
To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:79
ME: What a unique picture! Michael took this on the Rail Trail in Tioga County, and it took me a few seconds to figure out what I was seeing. How can a few slats in a wooden fence keep the light away?
JESUS: That is a great question.
ME: Jesus, what I see is not always what I see.
JESUS: True.
ME: For instance, I am intrigued when we ride down the old country, dirt roads and the darkness of the woods. I can’t see through the trees; no light is visible on the other side. It gives the appearance of quietness and peace. No snow touches the ground back in there.
JESUS: Winters can be difficult for My creatures. That is why I give them safe places to rest and renew their strength.
ME: You provide and care for them.
JESUS: Yes, they are incapable of hiding or blocking anything from Me.
ME: But in Michael’s picture, the fence boards are blocking Your warm light.
JESUS: Even on a sunny day that hints of the coming spring, there are those ‘things’ that cause shadows. You, My precious child, still do not let My light fully shine. Why is that?
ME: What are You talking about? I gladly let You in and don’t keep any doors shut.
JESUS: This was not a rhetorical question. How about your weight? Your need to be busy all the time?
ME: Oh no! I…I guess I don’t want Your Light to bring down the last bastions of my independence and self-control.
JESUS: Look at the beauty in the picture! What deep thoughts it creates! It is amazing that something as simple as a fence board can keep My light from melting the ice and snow!
ME: Well, maybe I don’t have doors that I’ve shut but perhaps a few pulled curtains.
JESUS: I will not enter without your genuine invitation.
ME: OK, but if we look at it from another perspective of how much light You’ve already shone, there are only a few little places left in the snowy shadows.
JESUS: I want to illuminate it all and guide your feet into the way of peace!
ME: I get it! Shine on!
Photo: Michael Johnston