Murphy’s Law states that what can go wrong, will go wrong. The fall, in the Garden of Eden, cursed all of creation. The choices of Adam and Eve were against God’s will and brought sin into man’s life. Some people theorize that Peter stands at the gates of Heaven, welcoming all the Saints home, but I bet it’s really Adam and Eve saying “I’m sorry” to everyone that enters. Poor Adam and Eve!
Throughout the Bible we see clearly that the world we live in, the physical and spiritual world, is fallen and under the curse of sin. We can see the death, disease and disaster that thrive in the world around us. Because of sin, mankind was separated from God and in need of redemption through our Savior. Jesus died on the cross and rose again because he loves us immensely. The redemption that he offers restores our relationship with our Father and completely pays for our sin debt. We are born again, new creations! However, as Paul explains in Romans, even after we are reborn in Christ and are freed from the curse of sin, we still carry the effects of our sinful nature while in this life. This ‘body of death’ is like our shadow – it goes everywhere we go and is always lurking around behind us, trying to pull us back into the dark. God told Cain to watch out – sin was lying just outside the door, waiting to pounce! We can’t escape it. Where ever I go, my shadow follows. I catch myself making some of the same old mistakes, choosing the wrong paths, even when I know better. I have quoted Paul’s words many times – “I don’t do what I want to do. Instead, I do what I hate. I do what I don’t want to do.” We see the struggle we all face as believers, the tug-of-war, the potential Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde syndrome, the 9-round shadow boxing match going on inside our souls.
Hans Christian Andersen wrote a story called “The Shadow” in which a good man’s wicked shadow separated from him and became fatter and richer than his former master. The shadow attributed this to his realistic acceptance of evil in the world as opposed to the man’s naive faith in good, beauty and truth. The shadow tempted the good man to become like him but the man refused. The story ended with the evil shadow having the good man executed. Fortunately for us, the real story has the opposite ending – God will do away with sin and we will be transformed, to live forever in the presence of the light of Christ - no shadows allowed! The bible makes it clear that we will be victorious because Jesus has already won the fight for us:
- 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
How do you get rid of a shadow? You turn up the light! The more we live in the Light (Jesus), the less effect our sinful nature will have on our thoughts, our feelings, our motives and our decisions. But this takes time and maturity so keep up the good fight! Remember, shadows hide behind you when you face the Light!
Read: Romans 7:14-8:2
Pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for the light you have shone in my heart and my life. Without you I would still be in the dark. Please let the light of Christ fill me and shine through me to others. Amen
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