The Shadow of Light (part 2)

My wife read "The Shadow of Light" and gave me a puzzled look. She slowly responded to the poem, "I have no idea what it means." So I told her what I meant, and I told myself that I would write down what I meant. Here is that explanation:

Aiming for a paradox, I placed shadow and light together to lead the reader to ponder how they fit together. I wrote this poem to illustrate a certain truth: you must see your sin before you see the need for a Savior.

The shadow represents the darkness of sin. This grim reality mocks us by trapping us in its grip. We cannot escape its hold, and it leads to death and destruction. Light, on the other hand, gives us the ability to see the glory of Christ. It leads to eternal life by lighting the way to the Father. Before we can see the light, though, we must understand that we are hopelessly lost in the darkness. Only then can we step into the light.

The salvation that Christ offers makes no sense if there is nothing to be rescued from. I tried to capture this idea in “The Shadow of Light.”