Don't fear your shadow

Have you ever been frightened by your own shadow?

I've have two I can mention off the top of my head, one that was shared and one recent.

My mom had to explain to 3 year old me what a shadow is.

I can only imagine how the scene played out.

3 year old Octavia trying to entertain herself with a tennis ball. She kicks it around, running after it to catch it. The ball rolls into the dim lit sitting room, rolling under the couch. Octavia runs into the no go zone without thinking, only to realize that she was all alone.

"ah! ahhhhhh!" little Octavia exclaims "What's going on?" her mother watches her little girl freak out at the dark blob following her every move.

She reach the point of hysteria "Octavia, it's your shadow" her mother lifts up her hand "See" showing her that the shadow is her and that she doesn't need to be afraid.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

And then a more recent experience would be during load shedding I headed to the bathroom with my cellphones torch on placing my phone on the toilet floor. I finish my business and as I button up my pants which is pretty standard thing to do right?

Anyway I turn to my left and my soul nearly leaves my body by how prominent my shadow glared back at me.

These two moments in my life link up so well together.

I found myself in thought about how we fear our own shadow, the shadow that represents our potential of who we are and who we could be.

It stares right back at us boldly challenging us to shift and change.

I will admit I haven't conquered this hurdle yet and that's okay. I believe that I will and when I do, I know who all the glory belongs to.

Write this on the table of your heart...

• Trust God during the process

• Learn to forgive your past self to embrace who you're becoming

• Take courage in admitting your short comings

• Add valuable habits by breaking the bad

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus"

Our potential is a part of us, God given and build into our DNA know it, own it and grow into it.