Light Beyond The Shadows

I've been thinking a lot lately about the theology of suffering and why life can be so challenging at times.  I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing that we didn't have to go through suffering or hard seasons in our lives' journey.  

However, I also know that when I look back on my life, I've grown spiritually each time I've had to go through something challenging.  

To that end, author Ann Voskamp asks this powerful question: 

“Who would ever know the greater graces of comfort and perseverance, mercy and forgiveness, patience and courage, if no shadows fell over a life?”

Those words cut to the heart of something we often forget amid our pain—our darkest seasons can become the very soil where grace grows deepest.

When we walk through suffering, everything in us longs for escape. We pray for the shadow to lift, for the valley to end. But what if the shadow is not the absence of God’s presence, but the backdrop for His greatest work? Shadows only exist because there is light. 

As I write this, I recall a line from the band Switchfoot that goes like this: “The shadow always proves the sunshine.” I love that song (just listened to it again). It’s a reminder that even when the world feels dim and heavy, there is light—stronger and steadier—just beyond what we can see.

Scripture affirms this truth in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18: 

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 

The struggles we face aren’t meaningless. They shape us, stretch us, and ultimately lead us to hope that cannot be shaken.

If you’re walking through a season of darkness right now, hear this: the shadow you see is proof of the light that exists. Your pain is not permanent. Your valley will not last forever. There is a sunrise coming, and when it breaks through, you’ll see how every shadow reveals God’s faithfulness in ways you never imagined.

So take heart. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not win (John 1:5). Begin to see your shadows as evidence of the coming brightness. Trust that God is working something beautiful and eternal—even here, even now. Hold on. The sunshine is real, and it’s closer than you think.

Today's Prayer

Lord, in the shadows of life, remind us of Your light. Give us strength to endure, courage to trust, and eyes to see the hope that never fades. Thank You that even when darkness feels overwhelming, Your light is stronger, and it will prevail. Amen.