7 Apr 2002

Leaving Shadows Behind

Submitted by theshovel

Being a grandpa keeps me somewhat current with the latest children's videos, including a recent Winnie, the Pooh movie. Hey, I only view them because I have to, okay? ;)

Anyhow, the one my grandson forced me to watch featured Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet hopelessly lost in a endless cavern. During the whole adventure their imagination runs wild with fear because they are sure that a terrible monster stalks them. At the end of their journey a horrendously distorted shadow appears on the wall in front of them growing larger and more frightening with each passing moment. Of course, the scary projection clears up at the last second when, not the creature, but Christopher Robin enters, and their fears immediately vanish. As they step out of the shadows the perceived cavern returns to its real form: a small protrusion of rocks.

You know what? Our fears are not the monsters we think they are. Do you know why? Because the substance behind those fears has been done away in Christ, he has removed every cause for them. The question is, why do we still reserve little nooks and crannies for this unsubstantiated, irrational fear to hide and grow way out of proportion? Why do we return to something that was never ours in the first place when it only causes us to revert to the worthless motivations of our own past? If they didn't work before what makes us think we can revitalize those motivations with a Law that couldn't bring life to those legitimately under it?

Do you not realize that most of the truth we've encountered is nothing more than Judeo-Christian blends of morality and ideas? Don't kid yourself by hanging onto some Biblical principle here because those early Jewish disciples don't agree with you. Remember what Peter told the counsel?

Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are. Acts 15:10-11

You see, the Jews had a legitimate claim to God's truth, but it brought them no closer to God's deliverance than those they had considered dogs and outsiders. In other words, their own inability to keep their own law had left them in the same desperate position as those who had been given no law by God. Hence the question, why do those who are not part of our heritage need our things in order to receive what we could not receive through those things when the outsiders received it the same way we also had to receive it? It made too much sense, and the issue was dropped.

Maybe we hold onto shadows because they contain a measure of legitimacy. But once again, do we - with our hybrid version of that shadowy legitimacy - dare pass on to others that which hasn't really worked for us? Christ stepped in to our cavern and the monsters went away. Why do we want to re-create the old sensations by attempting to conquer somebody else's cave when Christ already did it?

I don't need anybody else's monsters - not yours, not mine ... and definitely not the formerly-legitimate ones with Scriptural support.

Comments

shadow created monsters and fear ...

DIGNZ - May 28, 2010 - 9:48pm

there seems to be a sort of addiction to fear sometimes. it motivates us to do what we think needs to be done to be found pleasing in his sight, forgetting that nothing but christ pleased the father, and now we are pleasing to him because of our miraculous birth that was sourced in him to begin with. he is pleased beyond measure by that which he himself provided and brought about in jesus christ. all praise and glory are his, and we have been made heirs in his son. how can we dance and be merry of heart with the burdens of false and bogus yokes around our necks? they have been removed in christ. such relief to bear a yoke of light and ease! :)

Re: Leaving Shadows Behind

theshovel - October 30, 2010 - 10:53am

These comments were all transferred over from the original website

Posted: Sep-06-03 by John

Jim,

Your stuff leaves me laughing with joy at how good it is. I know a gem when I see it. I love Him and I see Him in your writing crystal clear.

Thanks,

Posted: Sep-06-03 by Suzan

When I was 10, I received Jesus, but I had no one to mentor me. (For that, I praise God! I was utterly bereft of Religious training!) When I was 18 I took instructions to join the Lutheran church. At then end of the meetings, the pastor asked if I had any questions.

And I did! "I know who the Father is and what He did. I know who the Son is and what He did. But who is this Holy Ghost and how is joining your church going to effect my life?" Sadly, the answer was, "I don't know but we hope it has a positive effect." I did not join the church. I believe it was the Holy Spirit that had me ask that question. Intellectually, I pretty much figured out at that point that the "church" as I knew it was dead and I didn't want anything to do with it.

I then promptly got involved with the occult. A decade later I met a lady who discerned the spirits around me, and told me about the power of God, versus the power of Satan... She sent me to a House Church (I wouldn't go near a building with a pastor!) and I was hooked.... That was Easter 1977. 25 years later, I still worship and fellowship in house church circles.

I have attempted to do the traditional church thing. I have found that the pastors want to run the meeting instead of letting God. I am left empty and in great sorrow for all the people there that are spiritually starving to death. Trust me, they don't listen to "Kooks" like me. And after the initial wooing, when I start asking questions, the pastors run from me. I make them so uncomfortable, they don't even want my tithes (which I don't believe in anyway!)

Keep up the shoveling away at the traditions of men and devils (that they don't even understand or want to (try explaining the real basis of Christmas and see what you get!) Perhaps you will get thru to them...

Blessings

Posted: Sep-06-03 by Natalie

Wow...Tigger, Pooh, and Piglet!!! My favorites. Have I told you lately that I love you? I do and I miss you and Sherri.

love,

Posted: Sep-06-03 by Bruce

Jim,
Another WONDERFUL Shoveletter indeed!

You touched on SO MANY wonderful things in this one...

Question???

Regarding shadows...and in particular...the "big" shadow (the devil)

How does he fit into your picture???

You don't have to worry about "offending" me with your answer!

I have friends whom I love dearly who believe all kinds of things!

:)
Bruce

Yo Bruce!! Hey, you know, I hadn't even thought about the "devil" angle in this. Hopefully, my total lack of an answer doesn't offend you!! hehehehe! You can be sure your question will stir something up.

Posted: Sep-06-03 by Denise

I just love those movies and cartoons that the grandkids make us watch! ;-)

Great article! I guess this is a major area in the renewing of our minds. Having never been in anything other than a legalistic church to one degree or another I think I need a lot of renewing in this area. Someone told me yesterday that no one can come to Mount Zion (Christ) without first having passed through Mount Sinai (Law) (do I have those in the correct order?), i.e., the Law is the school master and no one can come to Christ without the school master. Any validity to that way of thinking or is this just more of God in a box type thinking? This all confuses me so much because the bible even says that the Law was only given to the Jews, in the first place.

Posted: Sep-06-03 by Anonymous

This explains why I feel closer to God and recieve more from Him, during movieslike this, than at IC. Not that you can't woship God or receive from Him at an instutuional church....but this is my experience, anyway.