shadows & sunshine

My three month old baby hates to be in the car. He screams like crazy whenever I have to take  him somewhere. My daughters and I have nearly gone mad having to ride with him! The other day, my nine year old asked me to turn on some music in the car. She handed me a Switchfoot CD and asked me to turn it up. I had to crank it up pretty high to hear it over the baby’s shrill cries.

Then something amazing happened. He stopped crying.  I guess he likes his music loud.

Needless to say, we’ve been listening to a lot of Switchfoot in the car. One of the songs that is sticking with me is “The Shadow Proves the Sunshine”.

You can’t have a shadow unless there is sunshine.  Something blocks the sunlight, and the shadow is created.

I was thinking about the shadows in my own life. How the dark days that I face sometimes prove that there is light shining on me. On one side of me, the Lord is shining His light. On the backside, there are some shadows. I can’t have one without the other.

I have a choice to make. Do I turn my head toward the shadow and focus on its darkness, or do I turn my face to His light? I must fix my eyes on the love, grace, and power of Jesus in my life. He is shining on me. I can feel it.