Day 32 - “What Does Your Shadow Represent”
Passage: Acts 5:14-16

“Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.”

Devotion:

In the Disney movie, Peter Pan, Peter has lost his shadow and is chasing it around in the bedroom of the children Wendy, Michael, and Christopher. Eventually, he catches his shadow and Wendy reattaches it, by sewing it back to his feet. My daughter Amanda (with whom I watch these movies), asked me if it was possible to lose our shadow. She looks around and because there is little light in the room she can’t find her shadow, therefore it must be lost – right? We talk further to discuss how shadows don’t occur without light, are not magical, and are simply the image of an object that is blocking a light source.

Peter, the Apostle (not Peter Pan), is the object in our story whose shadow has developed the ability to heal. The subtle warning for us in this is to make sure we focus on the source (Jesus) not just the image. Our tendency can be to give power or find meaning in the wrong thing, in this case Peter’s shadow. The people had mistakenly transformed Peter’s words (“In the name of Jesus”) into faith in his shadow. As a Christian we must always be cautious to humbly point to Jesus, so our works in His Name do not become “our” works alone.

As I read this story, I can’t help think about what my shadow represents to others. Is it non-existent because (as I explained to Amanda) there is no light source? Or do people see Jesus in my shadow?

Question to Ponder:

Are you illuminated by Jesus? What do people see reflected in your shadow? What step can you take in your life to be illuminated by Jesus today?

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