Shadows

A few days ago, I went to the beach. As I was walking, I was amazed by the beauty of the shadows that the sun was creating as it peeked through the trees.  The clouds would hide the sun for a bit then they would move and we could see clearly the outline of the trees on the ground.  They were beautiful silhouettes.  As beautiful as they were, they were not real, they were only copies of something else, a tree, the leaves, me, a bird or whatever else the sun was shining on at the moment.  The shadows were not real; they really only pointed the something better, something real.  Imagine, for a second, if I had thought that the shadows were real, and not just reflections of something better.  That idea would be crazy and ill-conceived.  Imagine the let down when, at some point, I realize that the shadows were not real.  Sadly, in this life, many people go through life chasing shadows.  They chase and pursue many things like money, fame, power.  If you are following those things, you will find out that all those things are just as fleeting as the shadows that I watched on the beach.  They never provide lasting satisfaction or contentment. For the Christian, we don’t have to chase the things of this world.  We can put our trust in what will last and is unchangeable.  This world only serves to remind us that there is something better, heaven.  This world, at its best, is flawed because of sin.  It’s only a copy, a very poor silhouette. of what life will be like in Heaven.  I think that the best we can imagine will not compare to the glory, beauty and awesomeness of heaven. What a comfort and Hope for the believer.  We can look at the shadows and know that something better is waiting for us because we see the shadows.