Psalm 74:16 The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon.

While the sun shines, everything casts a shadow. The hotter the sun, the blacker the shadow. The shadow may vary in size and hue and whereabouts. But inevitably it will be there.

Men are like that too. When they are in the light of God they cast shadows that follow them around. Some small ones, some big ones. A shadow is a place, where the light is blocked out because some object comes inbetween the sun and the ground.

Man's ego can very easily cast such a shadow on his neighbors. Where because of his size the next will stand in the dark. There are people, who make huge shadows in which nearly nothing grows. There are others who make tiny shadows and some even reflect the light to give it to others.

Instead of drinking up all available strength, they reflect it for others to grow. To flourish. Maybe the seem to just a shadow themselves, for they have become like a fleeting shadow themselves for fear to block the light in someone elses life.

May God be praised for all true light is his.

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

It is a terrible condition man is in. It is terrible, what man will do to man. It is terrible, what we are capable of in the bad sense of the word. One man killing so many. Terrible. There seems to be no comfort, no words to be found. No way to express the feelings stuffed up.

And there is greater danger. Danger is in scorn, in anger, in judgement. Who will comfort us then? Who can we look up to then? 

Maybe we should be thankful instead. Thankful this doesn't happen more often. Thankful to know there is a peaceful place waiting for the faithful. Thankful to be kept out of touch with what festers in the soul.  Thankful to be in the hand of a God, who has the all rights on our lives. Even to take them as he pleases. The comfort lies in humbly bowing to God.

I so wish I could give thoughts of comfort, figuring my own horror if it was my friend or son, hurt or killed. Please bow with me in prayer. Let this not be a temptation to sin on our part. Please. Resist the temptation to hurl all your anger, hurt, brokenness on this one act of open lostness. Pray. I will pray too.

1 Corinthians 8:3 But whoever loves God is known by God.

Sometimes I feel like that. Shattered. Floating, falling. But I know, God knows me, he sees me and he holds me in his hand. I can never fall out of it. That is quite a comfort. But quite terrifying as well. For He who sees all, knows all, having a hold on my tiny bit of being is frightening. Like contact with powerful people often is. Why would he do that? Hold me? And what for? Will that potter make me a thing I can agree with? Not that he has to... .