Out of the Shadows and Into the Son (Colossians 2:16–23)

While many have heard of claustrophobia (a fear of enclosed spaces), acrophobia (a fear of heights), and arachnophobia (a fear of spiders), fewer are familiar with sciophobia—a fear of shadows. One publication explains that, for someone wrestling with it, sciophobia “may dictate major decisions they make in their day-to-day life such as choosing to not go outside in the daylight … in fear they may come across a shadow.” This fear can lead to intense, paralyzing anxiety. Now, most understand that a shadow is harmless, just a shape produced on a surface by an object blocking light. But for sciophobics, something so common and powerless can enslave them and stop them from fully enjoying the life they have. Many Christians suffer from spiritual sciophobia, ensnared by “mere shadows” (Col 2:17). Paul, however, insists that such a hindrance is avoidable and that followers of Jesus can come out of the shadows and into the Son.