Its overcast, raining off and on, as well as temperatures beginning to dive into that fall-ish feel....in fact, (as one of the nurses told me a little while ago)...they are dropping enough just west of here that there is the possibility of the S word happening....snow!! Again, as weve been told...Welcome to Cleveland, where you can experience all four seasons in one week...hmmmm I usually dont put anything out there during the daylight hours...oh well, lets give it a whirl.....been thinking about C.S. Lewis term, Shadowlands. He chose that term to reference the world that you and I live in...not the world as it should be, nor the world as it will be, but the world as it is...a land of shadows and light...illusions and realities, darkly lit landscapes that we endure, wade through and pilgrimage through on our way to what John Bunyan referred to as, the Celestial City. Shadows are those areas/shapes/images that appear when something/someone intercepts/moves between the source of light and a surface. The Apostle Paul said, now we see in a mirror dimly....some times it seems that in this life we are blindsided from something lurking in the shadows...it catches us off guard/unawares leaving us dumbfounded/wounded/shaken to the foundations of our being.......I speak not of mere inconveniences or that which is uncomfortable...(perhaps most of us American believers would call those kind of things trials....things that interrupt our routines/social calendars/Wi-Fi signals/savings-investment accounts/hair appointments.....seriously?!?...really?!?...oh well, whatever).......friends Im here to tell you that the words/promise of Christ are true, In this world you WILL HAVE tribulation....tribulation; that which presses you so hard you feel like you are going to die-or may be you wish you could....but the other side of that promise is equally true...but take heart, I have [not will, but have] overcome the world [the shadowlands]. Some of the illusions of the shadowlands are that, this is the end, Ill never make it, life is now maimed/crushed/destroyed/diseased/in ruins....yet there are some non-negotiable realities...in the midst of the pain/trials and apparent devastation consider the words of Jesus from Matthew 5:13-16, You are the light of the world.... In the midst of these Shadowlands we bring the light of Gods presence/good news...Paul referred to believers as ambassadors in II Corinthians 5. Ambassadors act as representatives of their government/their actions are the actions of the government itself. When Jesus said that He overcame the world, He was saying that there is something bigger/brighter/more of a reality than the surroundings of these shadowlands....and we bring those realities on His behalf into our tribulations....what realities/good news do we bring? From 2 Corinthians 5, Paul would allude to the work of Christ accomplished on the cross...all that we would need in these shadowlands has been provided through the power of the cross of Christ. As you pray for Katie, others and yourselves....all of our provisions for life in these shadowlands are found at the cross. We love you...thank you is putting it mildly. (Go to this link and listen...) youtube/watch?v=ubGCISQQ7Zo&sns=em
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 01:13:28 +0000
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