In the dim light, depending on my line of sight, it was hard to be sure which image was real. Straight on, with good light, there was no confusion. I found myself considering the shadows in my life, what I think may be true, and what is a real, tangible, and true. With virtual images flooding my senses, it is often hard to distinguish between shadows and reality, between truth and what exists only in my imagination.
Life’s whispers remind me that the conundrum is far bigger than I imagine. I keep hearing the old warning: “Who knows what’s best for us as we live out our meager smoke-and-shadow lives? And who can tell any of us the next chapter of our lives?” (Ecclesiastes 6.12)
Truth comes with reference points. As much as truth can stand alone, I continue to find links and connections between the truth before me and other truth-filled examples. Life points me to the interconnection of truths and the way they restore my heart and soul. Compassion for others creates a healing force within, born in the realisation of how compassion changed the life I was witnessing. Along the way, I discovered that my acceptance of God’s compassion changed what was real in my heart. In my experience of the beauty of a sunset, I recognised the love of those closest to me. Both changed me from the inside out.
Life is filled with false narratives. There are many sources, starting with the biases and preconceived ideas within me. Events and experiences are twisted by these two demons that stubbornly refuse to leave my mind. False narratives are proposed by the ignorant and the naïve, those I trust as well as those I should not. The differences between the truth and shadow imitations can be challenging to discern. Shining the light, examining the reference points, and considering the results creates opportunities for me to know what is real and what is not.
Walking in the light is the best way to avoid being distracted by the shadows. Today’s dawn is the start.
