SHADOW DWELLER
What is meant by this expression? Do we have a shadow of our former self that we choose to put away? Are we living in a shadow, in the darker areas that we prefer for others not to see or even know about? I think that we all have some shadows.
The shadows of shame.
The shadows of brokenness.
The shadows of sin and guilt.
The shadows of past self, past regrets, past lives we long for.
The shadow of doubts and fears of being exposed for things in our lives that we try to hide from others.
The shadows of regret from failing to act or not acting as we should.
There are more shadows, more hidden things - of which we don’t discuss, and if you are reading this, you probably have a shadow or two that you are currently thinking of right now.
Carl Jung was a Psychoanalyst who used the expression “Shadow-self” and introduced a type of psychotherapeutic intervention dealing with the parts of the psyche that people keep hidden, not only from others, but often-times even from themself. Areas of the hidden self, such as trauma and resentment would often be hidden away - in the shadows. Jung developed this concept of the ‘shadow-self’ and then discussed ‘shadow-work’.
We all have work to do that must come out of the shadows of regret and trauma, pain and loss. We all must look into the dark and shadow-like places in our lives to bring those things to light, if we are to truly find hope and healing from trauma, from ongoing active trauma, and from triggered and newly surfaced trauma.
Will we do it? It is a difficult road to healing and hope. The trauma and resentment will come back over and over, and often when we won’t have the band width to move into the shadows, or out of them.
Jung describes the shadow-self as a place where people repress things, or hide things they don’t want to talk about, and yet those things which we must not talk about - must be spoken of, not only in the darker shadow areas, but they must be dragged into the light, and as a Christian counselor and chaplain, I will give the Light a Name, which is above every other name - His Name is Jesus, He is marvelous, magnificent, sovereign, holy, loving, compassionate, merciful, and so much more!
Our shadow-self must be brought into the light of Jesus. It is only in this Light where the shadows are cast out and cast away. In His perfect Light, there is no shadow cast, because in Him and in Christ alone we have the Perfect Light who came into the darkness of the world to get rid of everything that binds and hinders, and they have to be brought into submission to His holiness.
Living in our shadows is a painful way to live. I have lived in mine for years, it is only recently where I find that I don’t have to hide those traumas, nor do I have to hide who I am. I am recently learning who I am in Jesus, He loves me, He is not looking for false relationship, He wants us to put the shadows away, and step out completely into His Light, so we can live victoriously.
This is all easy to offer here, but how do we do this? What is the process or mechanism by which it can be completed?
Surrender and Submission to God in all aspects of our life is a must.
I invited my Pastor to preach in the prison where I was the chaplain, and he offered an illustration to the men at the maximum-security facility on surrender and submission, which I now will relay here:
He spoke gently, but in a manner of love, compassion, and humor to the so-called hardened criminals; “put your right hand in the air, now your left hand in the air… now say - I surrender.”
Those were his words, the men in the chapel at the prison had put their hands “up” and were saying those words, “I surrender” out loud and laughing. They were fully aware of what was being said, they had to surrender, but not to the local or state law-enforcement officials, but to the Living God almighty.
We also need to learn to walk in daily surrender and submission to the Lord God Almighty. It is through this journey where we understand how to get out of the shadows of former self, and live in the new creation that Jesus died for you to become.
What does a surrendered life look like?
A surrendered life is not a life that dwells in the past regrets and shame, those are things the enemy of our very souls uses to cause us to walk around in defeat. I am tired of walking around defeated, I should and must live in a victorious state, since Jesus died and rose again for me, for you! We are not the shame or guilt or trauma we have lived through - we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) in and through Christ who loves us.
Perhaps you have not experienced a surrendered life to Christ, and you, much like me have walked in defeat, of the mind, in the depression, through anxiety, with PTSD… Why? Why? I know what I have walked through, I know where I have been, and the things that have happened to me, but this is no excuse to live in and dwell in them - I can surrender my thoughts and anxiousness to the Lord who wants to tak them from me.
And so can you. He invites and implores us to cast all of our anxieties on Him, because He cares for us (see 1 Peter 5:7). Does this mean, you will never hurt, never feel the past coming back to haunt and taunt you again? Nope. It does me, that if those things come back to the forefront of your mind - that you can give them to Jesus, and in doing so - it binds the so-called power of the enemy over them. You can be free.
Jesus came to set you and me free. He says so in the Bible. He not only came to set the captives free (which we were captives in our sin, held in bondage to the sin and guilt and hurt - but in Christ we don’t have to be!), Jesus tells us that we can know the truth and the truth will set us free (see John 8:32, 36).
Don’t you finally want to be free? I do! I really do! I have been fighting a battle, for a long time, still fighting it even now as I write this blog entry. I am tired of the fight. Jesus has fought the fight, He won the battle, He placed all of what you and I face on the cross of Calvary. He nailed it there.
This is all nice to write and to consider… we live in a real place of hurt and shame, I know, I get it. I also know that the more I fight, the more the physician’s say you need this medicine, or more sleep, or more of this or that - the more I find myself in a pit, in a shadowy place. Jesus wants to lift me out of the shadows, of my mind. He can do it - in fact He is the only One who can do it.
The choice is simple as I reckon -
Submit and surrender to Jesus - give Him all of me, all my brokenness, and learn to walk in freedom.
Stay stuck in the shadow apart from Him, and live in the brokenness and walk in continued bondage to my depression and hurts.
I can say it won’t be easy to get out, but I have a strong Lord, and He can do it. His hand is already outstretched to me and to you…
Question is: Will we grab His hand, and allow Him to pull us to Himself? I can’t answer that for you, I can only give the option of hope, and let you decide.
Are you tired? Are you hurting and want hope? Give it to Jesus.
Let’s walk out of the shadows together.
Here if you need me.