Shady
Have you ever known a Shady person?
We equate this to being untrustworthy, unreliable and unstable. Unfortunately, we probably have been exposed to the human condition that “hurt people hurt people,” and we are in the mix. In truth, we share in the process of hurting others and being hurt ourselves. This takes place daily around the world.
It also happens in church, which breeds accusations of hypocrisy, lies and double standards, leaving too many people running from community and never coming back. It’s tough, because when you connect in church it’s more intricate than we at first would think. Being a part of a church community links us through worship, life-change and a common vision for a cause bigger than ourselves. When things go sour, the wound is deeper than other types of groups, because it’s emotional and spiritual. Receiving the grace of God and giving His grace to others is a hugely important part of this process.
Too often we hold others to a standard we don’t set for ourselves.
When people cross our proverbial line, we retreat, lash out or shut down, leaving a gap that doesn’t get healed. The result is wounded Christians who repeat the patterns within them wherever they go, and the cycle is multiplied. Our hurt, pain and anger leave us bracing off others, afraid of the next Shady person we may come by.
When this happens, we may be involved in a group but not connected. We are in a church but not invested. This makes us hang out on the fringe, easily distracted with criticizing what’s not right or how something is bound to go wrong sooner or later. From this position, we don’t fully enjoy life because we evaluate everything through the prism of our perceptions. We see things off center.
But there is a better place for us than this!
You see, Shady in God is a good thing. It’s actually the safest place for us to be. Going to a place of God’s Shade and staying there is challenging to our souls, our schedules and our priorities, yet it’s what life is all about – everything gets better when we are there.
“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him.”
Psalms 91:1 -2
How Shady is our God!
He covers the earth with His love and grace. He reaches far and wide for our hearts and lives. His Shade reaches to the depths of our past and goes before us into our future. His Shade is available no matter the issue, no matter the struggle and no matter the success. He is there. He is Shady enough to cover our lives in peace, protection, purpose and guidance. He is the lover of our souls, giving us life everlasting and making life worth living! His Shade is healing our wounds, healing our hurts and hearts so that we have a story in place of our pain. This is the power of our God. Any of us can go His Shade and find all we need!
With that said, we must resist transferring the Shady-persons issue on God, which causes us to miss the Shade He provides. This is why we must receive God’s grace and give His grace to others. It’s too important for us not to be in His Shade! I encourage you to embrace our Shady God. Let Him cover you in all of His benefits; Seek Him, run after Him and you will find Him.
All of our hurts and the hurts of others have a chance to be healed in His love, and we find this in His Shade.
Go for Him! Don’t stop. Don’t quit and don’t resist. Today is our moment to be in His presence under the Shade He gives. Don’t let another person’s actions block you from receiving God’s actions in your life. He is kind, great, mighty, gentle, honest and full of love! Our greatest days are ahead, so let our Shady God cover you, lead you and do miracles through you.
Have a great week in His Shade,
Pastor David
