Standing in Our Own Shadow
The master craftsman was being assisted by his young, enthusiastic but inexperienced apprentice. The young apprentice was having considerable difficulty doing the task set before him. In frustration, he began to complain about the working conditions, especially the lighting. How could he do his work if he couldn’t see? The master watched and listened for a few moments and then said to his struggling young apprentice, “You are standing in your own shadow!”
Consider how we, too, often stand in our own shadow. At times we create our own problems or add to them. It is easy to do, as our young friend found out, and likewise difficult to see happening. Sometimes needless guilt casts a shadow over our lives. Perhaps we try too hard, or not hard enough, or we try to live up to the unrealistic expectations of others. Maybe we are on an ego trip, carrying a grudge, living with a fear, or maybe we are out to prove something. Whatever it is, it is causing us to stand in front of the light, and a long shadow is cast over our lives.
The Master says, “Stand aside.” The light of the Father is needed to see life as it is to be seen, as the Father has created it. Only then can we do the work set before us and live abundantly the life given to us.
