Daddy was a giant of a man, at least to my little girl eyes. I ran to him when I was afraid. I crawled into his lap when I needed comfort or a snuggle. My daddy was a sure place in my little girl’s world.
I played a game with daddy. We dubbed it the Shadow Game. On hot southern afternoons when the sun baked the earth and a father and his little girl tended the garden, refuge from the heat was hard to come by, except in the shadows – the shadow of the father.
As daddy worked the hoe and stirred the soil, I tried to stay in his shadow. When he stepped, I stepped. When he knelt, I knelt. I had to stay close to stay in his shadow. If I got distracted and didn’t keep up with him, the sun blazed down on me, my skin burned, and sweat dripped freely. But, when I followed daddy’s movement closely I found shelter from the sun.
And, in the closeness, I could hear him whisper to me.
His whispers were one way he kept me close enough to stay sheltered. He whispered silly things. He whispered secrets to tending a garden well. He whispered love between a father and his little girl. Sometimes he sang a song I would have missed had I been running around doing my own thing.
Our Father God is a sure place, too.
When I stay close to the Lord – when I dwell in His Presence – His Presence casts a shadow that shelters me. The shadow of His Presence is a sure place. No foe can reach me. I cannot be burned. In His shadow I hear His sweet whispers and the song He sings to me in the night places.
Could it be that when fears overtake me and the cares of the world become too much – could it be that I have ventured out from the protecting Shadow? Yes! Absolutely. When my courage ends, my heart will find strength as I make my way back to the sure place of my Father’s love. There, and only there, will the ruins come back to life as His Spirit breathes beauty into the ashes.
His shadow is my refuge.
His shadow is my comfort.
His shadow is my sure place in a very uncertain world.
Father God, How can I ever thank You enough for giving me understanding of this incredible Truth? It is Your Presence – Your being – that casts the shadow of safety. It is in abiding IN You, dwelling richly IN Your Presence that we find Your secret place beneath the shadow of Your wing. Thank You, Lord, for that provision. You are amazing Lord. I love You and I give You praise.
*********************************************************
If you received Morning Glory via email, please visit the Morning Glory page. If you love church choirs you’ll love this video of the Mount Paran Church Choir singing, “Under the Shadow”. I promise.
What a wonderful and heart-tugging way to illustrate this beautifully simple message. Thank you for sharing your heart. This is easily one of my favorite posts. Love you! ~M
Thank you sweet Marcie. Love you!
Hi Nan! This is a beautiful post. You wrote your 'shadow time' with your Dad so well. I flashed on the scenes you described of you gardening too. Like Father, like daughter!
Love the shadow imagery. So many times, shadows are seen as a negative thing, and here you are making it the best place. I love that!
Good to see you! Hope your book plans are going well!
Ceil
Ceil, you're such an encourager. Thank you. Yes, I got my love of dirt therapy from my daddy and my grandfather. I've learned that when we walk closely with the Lord, the immediate darkness we feel is but the shadow of His wing. What an amazingly comforting thought. Blessings…
I love this Nan. It is so comforting to me to know that I have a heavenly father. This post made me cry thinking about having a earthly father to run to and hold me. Thanks for sharing your love for your dad with us. It sure blessed me.
Do you know I thought of you while I wrote this? Your heavenly Father – your Daddy God – is the nurturing father you have always desired. What a beautiful gift. I love you.