Standing in the Shadow

When I was younger, my father’s shadow would often cross over me. In my highchair, playing with my Hot Wheels in the family room, completing homework at the study desk, when I was in our home I was often in contact with his shadow. I never really considered what that shadow represented, never really thought about what it meant when Daddy’s shadow fell on me. 

My father has passed away. I will never again experience the darkening of his shadow. But I have my own children and now that I cast my shadow on them, I realize what that shadow represents. I know what it means to experience a father’s shadow. 

The shadow represents presence. More importantly, it represents closeness. Experiencing a loving father’s shadow means acceptance, protection, providence. Under the shadow of a loving father, a child has help and hope for a blessed future. In a father’s shadow the world seems right and expectation abounds.

Standing afar off, we will not experience the shadow of our Father in heaven. If we intend to experience God from “outside”, we will miss the experience and benefits of being in His shadow. There is no more secure place than in the shadow of the Almighty. But you have to come inside to experience it. 

Psalms 91:1

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."