I fade away like an evening shadow... Psalm 109:23a
Have you ever felt like you are merely fading away? Like an evening shadow that is swallowed by darkness, you simply begin to disappear.
For much of my life, I've been afraid of fading. Like a bad actor trying to steal a scene, I've reached for the lime light because in the light, maybe I won't disappear. Yet anyone who has been in the lime light will tell you - it doesn't solve anything. The attention fades, and before long, you are invisible again.
I think I've found a solution - not "the" solution, but something that can counter the enemy's lies.
Get a dog.
Ever since I was a little boy, I've liked cats. A cat is independent. He is distant. He does his own thing. The whole world revolves around what he wants. Everything a cat does is about himself. He can be visible, or he can disappear; he simply doesn't care. Maybe that's why I've liked them.
But a dog never disappears, and better yet, he'll never let you disappear. The people around you might not notice when you seem to be fading like an evening shadow, but a dog always seems to be saying, "I still see you."
Lord, thank You for the reminder - I am not fading into the darkness. If I ever feel unnoticed, if I ever feel invisible, Your Spirit reminds me - even through the disruptions of "man's best friend" - that I am still here. Open my eyes to see those who are fading around me. Help me to remind them how visible they are. Help me to not be afraid of the shadows.