Cliché sayings can be true, but at least one of them depends on the attitude of the person involved. I’m thinking of this adage, “Behind every great man stands a great women.” The feminist movement has perhaps made this truism obsolete because most women’s idea of greatness is being out front, not standing in anyone’s shadow. Yet the idea is there; every great person needs the support of someone else.
As an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. With great delight I sat in his shadow, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. (Song of Solomon 2:3)
The Song of Solomon is a love story. Some wonder why it is in the Bible for there is little reference to the Lord and spirituality. Most say it is a celebration of the sexual relationship in marriage, as God intended. Some insist this is allegory of the love between Christ and His church.
As I read this verse, I think about what it is like to sit under the shadow of someone else, lover or not. First, it requires a great deal of admiration for that person. I have to be impressed with them and feel that they deserve the spotlight.
Second, this requires that I am willing to take a back seat, to let all the attention, praise, recognition, etc. go to the other person. I have to be not only humble, but willing to be humble. The verse uses the term “delighted” that someone else is in the spotlight. For some, this might be easy, but it has not been easy for me.
When I was small, I had a childhood disease that threatened my life. My parents thought I would die, so they pampered and spoiled me. I was always in the spotlight. I did well in school and succeeded in other things, seldom finding myself in someone else’s shadow.
However, when I became a Christian, I began noticing that God filled me with pleasure when other Christians showed God’s grace in their lives. If another believer was growing in Christ, thankful, generous, loving, and fruitful in other ways, my heart rejoiced. It became a delight to be around spiritually successful people, even to sit under their shadow without feeling any desire to say, “Look at me too.”
Max Lucado, in his book The Applause of Heaven, describes the Christian’s entrance to eternity with a crowd greeting that one, applauding that he or she is finally home. The surprise is that at the back of the crowd, Jesus stands applauding also. He is the reason that anyone makes it to heaven. He is the star, the Beloved One who makes it possible, yet Lucado has Him standing in the shadows and allowing His child to be in the spotlight. It is merely a human interpretation, but I believe that Lucado has it right. Jesus is delighted when His children succeed. To those willing to receive it, He gives His delight to us, making us willing to sit in the shadow of others and be delighted at their success.
Lord, I love this picture of You standing in the background and delighting in Your people when we do that which pleases You. Even though You are the reason we can do anything good, and even though we are nothing without You, You still allow us some limelight. I’m overwhelmed by Your humility and grace.