~The Shadow~

"Jesus never left anyone the same after an encounter with Him."~The Rock, The Road,and The Rabbi page 76.

There are so many instances of Jesus being with such a variety of people recorded in the Bible. He was with the woman at the well who had been with numerous men. He didn't condemn her, he gave her hope. She left Him to tell others all about Him. Zacchaeus the "robbing" tax collector was never the same after meeting and spending time with Jesus. He paid people back four times what he took from them and his heart was changed. The disciples of course were never the same after being with Jesus. The woman caught in adultery whom the rulers said should be stoned was never the same. Jesus told her he didn't condemn her after everyone had left. Scroll through the New Testament of the Bible. Take note of those who encountered Jesus and their changes in their lives after meeting Him.

If we are a follower of Jesus, we are to BE like Jesus. We were made in the image of God. "What sets humankind apart from all other creatures? Only we are made in the image of God(in Hebrew, b'tzelem Elohim).The word for image in Hebrew is tzelem. It is derived from the Hebrew word tzel, which means 'shadow'. A shadow does not act independently but is a reflected image. Thus to be made in God's image means to reflect the image of our Creator. How is this to be accomplished? In Jewish thought , it means that we are to imitate God in all ways.."~The Rabbi, The Rock and The Road, page 44.

With all of that in mind, how then shall we "shadow" Jesus as we go about our lives? Think of how you can be a "shadow" no matter who you are with. I encourage you to breathe a little prayer with each person you encounter in life as you are conversing with them or simply listening to them. Breathe a prayer that you would be the shadow of Jesus and leave them with a positive thought or hope...leave them with something that would help them to not be the same in a positive way....or even simply when you leave them, leave in such a way that they will know that there is something different about you...something that brings hope...a peace...joy.

Be Jesus' Shadow!