Shadowy Places

I remember my grandmother’s basement.
Steep steps led down to a low ceiling cement cave.
Or so it seemed to me as a little girl.

There was that familiar basement smell.
There were many odd noises.
The old furnace was tucked way in the back corner.
I would never go over there.
It was too dark…too shadowy.

The only area that was well lit was the corner of the basement with the washing machine.
That corner spoke of modernity.
There was a closet under the stairs where all the Christmas decorations were kept.
There were a few light bulbs in the ceiling, each with a pull string to illuminate your way.

I never liked to go down the basement when I was little unless someone was with me.
The top of the stairs, where the kitchen was located, seemed miles away.
Voices in the kitchen were muffled in this basement world.

Sometimes I would be asked to go down the basement to get something in the cupboard.
I would do what I was asked…but I would do it lightning quick!
If the furnace came on while I was down there, I froze.

It was one of those days, frozen in place, that I saw the barrel.
I had not noticed it before because it was in the shadowy part of the basement.
I wanted to know what was inside, but the shadows and the furnace got the best of me.

It funny how a shaft of light from the kitchen above could calm my fear.
I never let on that I was afraid to go down the basement…but I wasn’t fooling anyone!

I remember my aunt asked me if anything was wrong, when I finally came upstairs.
Through babbling excuses, I mentioned that I saw a barrel.

Barrel…what barrel? Let’s go down and you show me!
Back down there…with the furnace and the shadows?

We walked back down the steep steps, turned our backs on the corner of modernity, and walked towards the shadows.

It was a large storage barrel, made of brown cardboard with a metal rim.
My aunt had to pry the top off with a screwdriver that she moved along the edge.
She opened it up…and a musty smell permeated the space.
She lifted some old slipcovers that had been long forgotten.
A face looked back at me.

I was too afraid to scream.
The face had a hat with a satin ribbon tied under the chin.
I saw two hands.
I turned to run.

Oh, would you look at this! My old doll!
Doll?
In the barrel…under the slipcovers…in the shadows…near the furnace?

She gently lifted the life size baby doll from the storage barrel.
She was absolutely beautiful!
Porcelain face, glass eyes, little teeth that looked as if they just erupted from the gum line.

She was dressed in actual baby clothes with little satin shoes and tiny socks with rosebuds.
I was enthralled.
An antique treasure in a storage barrel…protected by the old slipcovers that cradled it.

When I got married and moved into our first home, my aunt gave me her antique doll.
She had her re-dressed and cleaned up a bit.
The doll has some discoloration here and there.
Her flesh tones are a bit uneven after all these years, but she is exquisite.

She sits in my dining room, on a window seat…and brings me back to another time.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and  I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23)

We all have shadowy places that cause us to be afraid.
We all have tucked away corners, with furnace-like noises that intimidate.
We search for the pull string light to illumine our path, but beat the air instead.

We look up…we see the shaft of light from above…our fears begin to calm.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)

Our world is full of shadows.
Over and over, we read in God’s Word…Do not be afraid.

We can trust those words because we can trust Him!
We don’t walk in this shadowy world alone.
There is treasure to be found in the most unexpected places.

Jesus is our Light.
He casts away the shadows with His presence.
He is our treasure.
We have nothing to fear.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)

Shadows flee when we follow the Light of the World.