Shadows - Good or Bad???

"It's a shame they are visiting when it's so cold", my sister lamented as we talked about a visit from some of our cousins.

"They think it's warm", was my response.

That's because they live in Washington, DC where snow is still covering the ground.

We've had a strange winter, don't you think? 

My friend, George, who is the master gardener at  the Mandarin Museum showed me the winter garden that is really not yeilding.

"Not cold enough", he said.

It is only within the last ten days or so that all the leaves from the three trees I can view from my office window have fallen to the ground.

Not a very pretty sight is it?

And yet - I know - that soon those branches will have tiny buds that turn into leaves and the trees will become shade from the hot sun.

Or - how about a shadow...

I usually think of shadows as something less than inviting...I'd rather have sunshine...that is unblocked.
 
However I recently read a devotional that put the word shadow in a whole new light.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1).

A shadow is both good and bad the devotional's  author told us.  Could be the threat of a storm, could be someone lurking in the shadows who is positioned to harm.  The Psalmist speaks of the shadow of death and that scares us - since we want to live and we don't know exactly what the shadow entails.

However, according to Psalm 91:1, a shadow is good when God blocks out harm. When God is your Shadow that means He’s near and He’s protecting you.

The trees outside my office window currently allow the sun to shine its light through the branches.  This is good...but then when the leaves provide shade or even a shadow...that will be good as well.

It just goes to show me that it is important to appreciate - both the sunshine and the shadow!