No Sneaky Shadow

^“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” -- James 1:17 (NIV) 

Peter Pan is a household name. His character originated in 1902 in the writings of J. M. Barrie, and has since been found in many books, movies, and plays.

As an adult, I think back to Peter Pan and my brows pull tight. He was a mischievous boy who entered other children’s rooms in the middle of the night (yikes!) and was constantly trying to catch his sneaky shadow. Peter Pan actually “lost” his shadow and was trying to find it, but watching his shadow’s antics on screen was like witnessing a sly cat up to no good.

So the imagery of James 1:17 immediately brought Peter Pan’s dark and devious shadow to mind. Shadows are formed when an object gets in the way of beams of light. They morph and turn and change depending on the light surrounding the object. We, as physical beings, emit a shadow when placed before a light source. In the spiritual sense, we also produce a shadow. We are born sinners in a broken and sinful world. There is darkness in us.

But yay to the One whom “is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5 NIV) His very nature is only light.

God, the Father of Lights (whom He is referred to in other translations of James 1:17), emits no darkness and therefore “does not change like shifting shadows.” We don’t have to worry that God has a devious, murky shadow attempting to wreak havoc on our lives like Peter Pan’s does. In fact, He does the opposite of wreaking havoc. He’s the giver of all wonderful things. In the verse above, James uses two words in Greek, good and perfect, to describe “gift.” These refer to the act of giving, and to the gift itself. So this tells us the very generosity of the giver and the gift given are both from our Father in Heaven, whom resides in the heavenly lights.

And that Father does not shift and change. He is not devious or dark like ours or Peter Pan’s shadow. We can turn to His bright, all-consuming light, allowing Him to diminish any darkness and give us good and perfect gifts.

Questions for Reflection:

1. How can you walk basking in His light today?

2. What gifts do you need to praise Him for today?