Shadow of Change

 A fleeting shadow. 

My head immediately snapped up from monitor-focused typing. What I saw as the dawn silently filtered through a blinds-closed window-frame forced legs to action while hands grabbed a cell-phone-camera. I was desperate to capture this image.  

An eternity (nearly 5 minutes) in wait produced no repeat performance. This window of opportunity is lost to the shadows, to write full of pun.  

I made an attempt at manipulative invitation thinking that if I placed a few bread crumbs on the outside windowsill, I could duplicate the image.  Offering the enticement of food is effective in a lot of our interactions, right?  

This short video is the only reproduction relevant to the imagery that held me captive a few moments earlier.  It's clearly not the share I'd like to promote.  

Just yesterday, I was thinking about the reasons that I write while lamenting a bit about the situation we find ourselves in this year.  It was much easier to discover 'stories' that created God-awareness when I was actually moving around in the world.  

But today, the world came to me in the form of an opaque bird.  I have no idea what kind of bird nor do I know if it likes bread crumbs but at least it returned to explore.  A 'fleeting' image is all you'll see but my disruption this morning was due to a full wing-span produced shadow that took my breath away.

 Whether or not this was heaven-sent, I relished the connection I felt with our Creator.  He seems hidden sometimes behind the veil of light-filtered shadows.  But if we look closely enough, unforgettable reminders can be found. Just one little moment created a whole lot of contemplation. 

As disappointed as I felt when unable to reproduce the spectacular (in my mind), it's really not about the bird.  It's not even about the 'spectacular'. It's about the shadow and what it represents. Although shadows can easily be turned into metaphors for many things, today I am simply using them to encourage awareness. Shadows are everywhere. They can also take many forms.  

The look in someone's eye can shadow deep emotion.  A sigh can hide exasperation or even great love. The gait of the person in front of you can signal joy or defeat. We can use these observations to minister to a person or even change the world around us.

1. Observation results in awareness.
2. Awareness creates transformation. 
3. Transformation motivates action.  

“It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him. Daniel 2:22

I am feeling very grateful for being filled with Advent hope this morning. No matter the circumstance, we can find shadows of truth and comfort if we leave ourselves open to discovery. We might proactively seek them out but sometimes they announce themselves. I don't' want to miss any of them. 

My gratefulness today has also reminded me of an article written a year ago called For The Birds Or Perhaps Paper Towels From Heaven. I am truly grateful that today's story didn't end the same way.