We sometimes speak of life amid the shadows. We refer to such things as sorrow and adversity, calamity and misfortune as shadows. Yet, we need to remember that the same God who made the sunshine also made the shadows. Yea, it is the brilliancy of the sunshine that produces the contrast of the shadows. Is there a value in shadows? Yes, verily, for who could appreciate the beauty of the sunrise were it not for the shadows of the night? To awake on a foggy morning with only the shadows of the misty clouds about us causes us to yearn for the crisp dawn with sun reflecting upon the western hills. Yes, shadows have their purpose.

And it is so with the shadows of pain, sorrow and adversity. The one who comes out of such shadows as these appreciates the light so much more than the one who has known only peace and prosperity. The pain of sorrow only intensifies the joy of contentment. The bitter cup of anguish makes the taste of comfort that much sweeter. We must learn to use the shadows to come to appreciate the sunshine.

When adversity comes, the end result of it will be determined by how we accept it and how we use it. We can lie down and wallow in the shadows of self-pity or we can move toward the sunshine. The choice is really ours. For as surely as there is a night, there also follows a sunrise. We can walk toward that sunrise and away from the night. Sunset may be coming, but the sunrise we'll see!

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 5, p. 149
March 3, 1988