I can still remember decades ago trying to step on my shadow. I was fascinated because whenever I moved to step on it, it moved. Did you ever do that?
I recently was meditating through verses in Colossians 2 when I read Colossians 2:17 (ESV) These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Again, the word captivated my thinking, so I had to spend time reflecting on it. In this case, the shadow didn’t follow the substance, it preceded it. The shadow did have value but only when it was directly related to being in Christ.
In the context, Paul is writing about abstract things like Old Testament legal demands, laws, or rules. I understand that to mean laws like circumcision, what you are to eat or drink, celebrations regarding holy days or sabbaths. In their day those were a ‘big deal’. Moses was told he would be killed if he didn’t circumcise his sons on his way back to Egypt. People could be severely punished if they ignored the holy days, especially the sabbath. So, they were more than just suggestions! Their value was in how things like circumcision pointed to the necessity of being separated from sin and unto Christ.
It makes me smile today, but in my early days, I was raised to think doing things like roller skating was a sin, along with girls wearing jeans or makeup. My dad, a pastor, asked good friends to have their daughter stop wearing lipstick in the choir. None of those things had any direct connection with people growing in intimacy with our Lord.
Could it be that our traditional view of how someone prays the sinner’s prayer, embraces doctrines of predestination or pentecostalism, or how we do church with hymns or contemporary choruses these are days only a shadow? If so, we can sure get into some heated debates that separate believers into different denominations over a simple misunderstood “shadow”!!
I suspect we confuse legalistic tribal rules with shadows that point us to seeing ourselves through Christ’s eyes. It begs the question, ‘considering all we consider essential doctrines, behavioral practices, or rules and regulations of our church tribe today, are they only shadows of what is related to knowing who God really is? Paul went on to write, Colossians 2:18-19 (NLT2) Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud and they are not connected to Christ… I shudder to think of all I have thought, even taught, to be absolute truth may only be a proverbial shadow and lack substance of its own because it failed to connect people to Christ.
The Holy Spirit is saying through Paul, the things that have substance are ONLY found in how we relate to Christ Himself. Unless we have died in Christ to our petty dogmas that make us proud in we are totally missing the boat! He says in Colossians 2:23 (NLT2) These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.
I am so grateful when the Holy Spirit confronts me with my prideful ways. I so want to instruct others in the beauty of living IN CHRIST where alone there is substance. There is no room for my prideful pettiness or controlling issues when I acknowledge I am not God and have no business confusing others with my prejudicial “shadows”. How about you?