Shadow Side

“Making friends with you shadow helps facilitate your acceptance of yourself as a less-than-perfect human being. We all have a dark side; we are not all light.” - William A. Miller

Everyone of us has a dark side to our personality. I often find myself saying to people in counseling that as much as we don’t want those things to be a part of who we are the best thing we can do for our own health is to accept those shadow sides. It is then what we do with them that matters. Our shadows can be what makes us stronger, to strive for more, to long to be better human beings. Our shadows only become a problem when we let them abuse others. Shadows may come in the form of judgement, jealousy, lust, greed, hatred. But as we work on these things we may find ourselves becoming more compassionate, more giving, more thankful. “In Make Friends with Your Shadow, William Miller reminds us that Jesus was one of the greatest supporters of getting to know the shadow side of our personality. He points out that Jesus’ wise and insightful teachings are ‘an understanding of wholeness’ that includes both the known and unknown, or unwanted, parts of our personality. Jesus was a promoter of truth. he often pressed others to look deeply and to discover their true identity.” - Joyce Rupp

Breathprayer:

Breathe in: Holy God....

Breathe out:...reveal my shadows

Reflection:

Place your cup in such a way that it casts a shadow

Look into that shadow, allow it to reveal your own shadows

What do the cup and it’s shadow have to teach you today?

Make friends with your shadow

Ask God to reveal new insight to you and your shadow side so that you might see it as a part of you for teaching, growth and wholeness

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5

How can you say to your neighbor: “Let me take the speck out of your eye” while the log is in your own eye?”

Journal:

What qualities do you have that you would rather not? Consider how they might make you more whole. Take your shadows to God and ask the Holy to reveal new light and insight into how you might live with your shadows.

Prayer:

Holy God help me to see my shadows as a part of me. Reveal to me light in their midst. Help me to know how to grow, while accepting who I am and who you desire me to be.