Shadow Running

There once was a man with a thought. He noticed that whenever he was in the light of the sun, or any other light source, that his shadow appeared. When he wasn't, his shadow was gone. The man had recently been to a service talking about something similar. So he had a thought. Since light made the shadow appear, and darkness made the shadow stay in him, then obviously this shadow was the evil inside of him, like a demon. So he went out in search of bigger and brighter sources of light to rid himself of this shadow and thus of his "evil" inside of him. With each attempt though, he found that he couldn't find anything bright enough, or that if it was bright enough, he couldn't hold on to it for long periods of time. Discouraged, the man started to lose hope. "Maybe I'll never get rid of this evil inside of me." Then a bright light, unlike anything he had experienced before in his attempts now shone before him. He couldn't help but stare at this light and this man that now stood before him. This man of light spoke like no other man though, yet had thoughts that were completely like most men. This man of light said that there was nothing to be afraid of from the shadow, and that it wasn't his evil side at all. This man of light said that the shadow was nothing more than this and that, giving elaborate scientific reasons for the shadow. The man of light said that the man was foolish for seeking out greater light, because all things had shadows, and thus the man was saying that all things were evil. The man thought about this and thought it seemed true. Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention though, and he looked behind him. He noticed that despite this great light the man of light had, his shadow was bigger and darker than he had ever seen before. At least when he had tried the lights before, his shadow went away or wasn't very tall or wasn't ever this dark. Something seemed wrong about his shadow now. The man asked the man of light about this, and the man of light replied saying the man should simply embrace his shadow and not fear it. Still, something didn't seem right to the man. "I don't like your way of thinking. It doesn't seem right. I don't like you anymore, go away." So the man of light hissed at the man and left, leaving the man in total darkness. The man had never been in total darkness like this before. It was as though all light had been cut off from him, and it was though he was blind. The air felt heavy now, and everything around him felt wrong and eery. Then he seen a pinpoint of light, a sliver almost. This new light grew brighter and stronger, and there was a comforting sense of peace that went with it. The man tried getting up to go to this light, but found the darkness around him held him down, as though he was caught up in a tar pit. The light grew stronger, brighter, bigger, and soon the man could almost touch it. Finally the light had reached him, and it was then the man had noticed, that the darkness and shadows around him weren't just gone, it was though the light had consumed it. The man was engulfed in this new light, overwhelmed with a sense of peace and comfort. A new voice called out, but there was no person or man that was seen making the voice. This voice of light spoke to the man saying that he was right. The shadow he had seen follow him was his evil part, and that only in the light could it be removed. The light explained that there was only one light that could remove the shadow completely, and told the man to look around him. The man looked around him and saw that there was no trace of darkness, shadow, or even a hint of grey. The light told the man that there are many substitutes and copy-cats, but that there's only one true light that can take away the shadow and the darkness. The man nodded, and spoke of the man of light who made his shadow bigger and darker. The light said that was his enemy, and that the man of light was nothing more than a great shadow himself, and spoke lies and made himself out to be of the light, but wasn't really part of the light. The man asked then, since the light got rid of his shadow and thus the evil, how to go about keeping it. The light said do you believe all that you have seen and heard? The man nodded. Believe, and the liglht shall be with you always.

I realize to most of you this is kind of silly, the idea that the shadow is the evil side of us. Just stop and think what if it was? Would you be like the man who tried everything to get rid of it? Would you stop after the first couple of tries? Would you try at all? Would you have given up and listened to the fake light, or done as the man did and see the truth in the lies? Truly there is only one true Light that takes away the darkness and shadows of the world, for truly there is only one who is capable of taking away the sins of the world. How do you get the light? How do you accept the greatest gift that has ever been given? Belief and trust. God only asks that we believe in what He has done for us, and that we would draw close to Him and have a personal relationship with Him. The first and hardest step is to recognize our darkness and shadow and to want to walk away from it.