A Bible teacher once told the story of a time she noticed a boy sitting in the hallway with a stern look on his face, barking orders to the other children. “What are you doing?” she asked. “I’m pretending I’m the pastor,” he replied. “How are you playing the pastor?” He explained, “I ain’t doing nothing. I’m just telling everybody else what to do!”
We sometimes never know where our shadows fall and how they influence others. Martin Luther cast a long shadow over Germany, Europe, and the world – a long shadow for good. About 500 years later, Adolph Hitler also cast a long shadow over Germany, Europe, and the world…a devastating evil shadow. Two lives, two men; one filled with God’s Spirit, one filled with the spirit of evil.
You and I will likely never influence the entire world like Luther or Hitler, but I guarantee you will have tremendous influence on some part of it. It may be as a parent, a co-worker, neighbor, or friend. It may be as a coach or a teacher – or even as a fifth grader being a role model for a 1st grader. You won’t always be conscious of where your shadow falls, but the fact is that you touch many lives while walking this earth.
What kind of shadow do you cast? Is it for good or for bad? Is it to curse or to bless? Is it to encourage or to discourage?
Only your shadow knows.