On a recent walk with my 2 year old granddaughter, we found ourselves at the park. The sun was shining brighly and we took the long winding sidewalk that circled the park. We were not walking for long when two steps ahead of me, she kept turning around and looking at the ground. Her pace got faster and faster. I was struggling to keep up with her. She was frantic, almost tripping as she turned around looking over her shoulder and righted herself.
Finally she called out to me, "Grandma! That dark spot is following me!" It took me a second to realize that the "dark spot" she was referring to, was her shadow. I was laughing inside, but I was careful not to let her see it. She was serious. She was scared. She was very afraid.
She ran to my side as I opened my arms to her. I explained to her that it was only her shadow that she was seeing. She stood with her hand in mine and I told her to wave. The shadow waved back. Then we jumped up and down. The shadow did the same. After a few more arm waving and leg kicking, she giggled.
I thought it was funny. Cute. I thought about that moment every time I saw my shadow the next week. But then today it struck me differently. What had scared her was not some creature from her nightmares, but actually just her simple shadow cast across the sidewalk. How many times have I done that in my own life? How many times have I seen something that scared me and shook me to my core, when in truth, the problem that I perceived had not been a threat at all, but a case of mistaken perception.
Sometimes the gloominess of our current or past situations cast a dark shadow on how we see ourselves. We start to wonder if that negative comment someone said about us is true. We worry that our past mistakes will bleed into our future. We lay awake at night and fret over being misunderstood and wonder if anyone will ever really know us. And so doubt seeps in and starts to leave a stain on our soul. We get so focused on our hurt and what we see, that we don't see what God sees. We forget what God's word really says about us. That we are loved, forgiven, known and provided for.
When I am walking with Jesus, I can run to him and he will open up his arms to me. He will say, "My dear child, those things that you are fearful of are only stains that you have misread as threats. I have removed them with my blood."
God was trying to tell me that sometimes in my brokenness I forget my true identity. When I take my eyes off of God's promises, fear gets it's ugly grip on me. And that's when I need someone to remind me of the verse, "So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
Our fears can seem silly to others, just like my grand daughters fear of her shadow was to me. But they can haunt us, chase us, and steal peace from us. My two year old grandchild made me see something beautiful in the shadows. We all have the gift of dispelling someones fears. We can scoop them up in our arms and comfort them. We can shine a light on the shadows and take their power away. And in the end we can point them right to Jesus. The bible uses the words"fear not" 80 plus times. Other word pairings that would be equal to fear not (do not be afraid, do not fear, be not afraid) is used 30 plus times. I don't think I need to hear God say something 100 plus times to get the message. And my two year old grand daughter? She doesn't even notice her shadow anymore.