Groundhog Day

The best way to predict the upcoming weather every February is by watching a scruffy little creature named Punxsutawney Phil, who is a groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Every year on February 2, this chubby little animal comes out of his hole in the ground and predicts the conclusion of winter by seeing (or not seeing) his own shadow. Tradition is, that if he sees his shadow he will run back in his den and hide, thus predicting another six weeks of winter. Now if you ask me, I think the two choices are; if he sees his shadow there are, like tradition claims, six more weeks of winter… however, if he does not see his shadow, there are six more weeks until spring. Regardless, it is a fun folklore to talk about.

My Shadow

I was thinking of this when I was walking in the bright sunshine the other day and I saw my own shadow. With minimal observation, I noticed when I walked away from the sun my shadow went before me, but when I walked toward the sun it followed me. My shadow was always there, but the direction I walked determined where it fell. I could not help comparing my shadow, with the burdens I have in my life. We all have our burdens and no matter what we do, believe, or think, they are there and tag along like shadows on a sunny day. But the direction in which we walk does make a difference. If we walk away from God, the source of all light, our burdens run before us. They darken our path and hide the fact that bright, radiant, life-giving sunshine abounds all around us. Now, if we walk toward God, our burdens follow, and our path is illuminated.

Our Burdens in The Shadow of The Cross

Our burdens are not only behind us, but everything looks bright. Yes, we all have our burdens, but how they affect our lives is up to us and our relationship to God. With God we can place our burdens behind us if we walk toward Him. “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” James 1:17 Our burdens were laid at the foot of the cross that Jesus carried to Calvary. Jesus, who knew no sin, died for all of our sins. In the shadow of the cross, a marvelous exchange took place. My sin for his righteousness. My burdens for his blessing. He bore my shadow and invited me into His wonderful light. The Lord is my light and salvation, and it is hard for us to comprehend how great our Heavenly Father’s love for us must truly be. May our life be, Oh Lord, a constant walk in Your direction. May we know the life-giving sunlight which comes from only You. Keep us from walking in our own shadow and direct us so that we may always put our shadow behind us. Amen.