Casting Shadows

"Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he came by. A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those with unclean spirits, and they were all cured."

Acts 5:14 - 16.


As Peter walked through the streets of Jerusalem, do you think he fully appreciated the impact he was having on people? Do you think Peter realized that people thought if his shadow would just pass over them their illnesses would be cured?

Personally, I doubt Peter was thinking much about where his shadow was falling. I suspect he was more concerned with preaching the good news.

The truth is, though, that as Christians we all "cast shadows" whether we are aware of it or not. By that I mean that we impact people just by the way we live.

John Ferris is an Elder at Heartland Church and is one of many men who have profoundly impacted my life. Whenever I thank John for being an inspiration, though, John always shrugs his shoulders and gives me a puzzled look. John's reaction is no doubt partly due to modesty, and partly due to John's desire to give any credit to God. I also think, though, that John is truly a bit perplexed about what exactly he has done and why it has been so meaningful to me.

Of course, the shadows we cast can have the opposite effect as well. I can't tell you how many times people have told me that the reason they either don't believe or don't go to church is because people who do go to church are hypocrites. In other words, they believe that Christians, and particularly church-going Christians, say one thing and do another. Ouch!! Could that sometimes be true?

In my last post I talked about a choice we all have. We can choose to live our lives in a way that is mostly indistinguishable from our neighbors. Or, we can strive to live a "more excellent way." I guess my point is that which option we choose doesn't just impact our eternity -- it very likely impacts the eternity of many others as well. Something to think about.