Shadows
I remember walking home from school in the middle of winter. It was already dark outside in our northern city and the street lamps cast interesting shadows of the trees, the houses and anything passing by, including my sister and me. Our shadows would change in shape and size as we moved from one pool of light to another and this change fascinated me.
There’s something about shadows. We can get an idea of what is casting the shadow. For instance, I could tell my shadow from my sister’s as we walked down the street or ran along the tops of the snow banks at the edge of the street, but how much could those shadows tell about the two little girls that made them? All they showed was our shape and that was distorted depending on our distance from the light. The shadows said little about our facial features, what we were wearing or what we were carrying and had nothing to say about hair colour, our state of emotion, our thoughts or our character. The shadows didn’t show the intricate stitchery of our mother’s handwork in sewing matching fake fur winter coats, nor the warm lining she put inside. The shadows didn’t show the loss we had inside from losing our father, the confusion I felt from the unkindness of kids my age or the pain of my sister from years of plastic surgery to repair an accidental burn on her face. Shadows show very little about the real.
As I was driving home from work last night, it hit me like a bolt of lightning. We live in a shadow. We can’t see reality, only the shadow of reality, as we move through the days that have been ordained to us. This is hinted at in several passages of the New Testament. Colossians 2:17, in referring to “matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths,” says, “These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (NLT) 1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.” Shadows.
What we see, what we experience, what we know here on earth is merely a dim outline of what is yet to come. Think of it! Think of the deepest love you have ever had. It’s just a shadow of what’s yet to come. Think of the most delectable foods you’ve ever tasted. It can’t compare to the tastes of heaven. Think of the most exquisite sexual experience you’ve had. Our time with God will far surpass that pleasure. All the delights and pleasures that God has graciously given us to enjoy are merely shadows. All the delights and pleasures that Satan uses to lure us away from God are merely shadows.
So what am I living for? Am I chasing shadows, looking for meaning, joy and delight in them? Or am searching for substance and reality? Where do I find my meaning? Will I settle for the shadows because they are immediate or am I willing to wait for the Real?
There’s something about shadows. We can get an idea of what is casting the shadow. For instance, I could tell my shadow from my sister’s as we walked down the street or ran along the tops of the snow banks at the edge of the street, but how much could those shadows tell about the two little girls that made them? All they showed was our shape and that was distorted depending on our distance from the light. The shadows said little about our facial features, what we were wearing or what we were carrying and had nothing to say about hair colour, our state of emotion, our thoughts or our character. The shadows didn’t show the intricate stitchery of our mother’s handwork in sewing matching fake fur winter coats, nor the warm lining she put inside. The shadows didn’t show the loss we had inside from losing our father, the confusion I felt from the unkindness of kids my age or the pain of my sister from years of plastic surgery to repair an accidental burn on her face. Shadows show very little about the real.
As I was driving home from work last night, it hit me like a bolt of lightning. We live in a shadow. We can’t see reality, only the shadow of reality, as we move through the days that have been ordained to us. This is hinted at in several passages of the New Testament. Colossians 2:17, in referring to “matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths,” says, “These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (NLT) 1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.” Shadows.
What we see, what we experience, what we know here on earth is merely a dim outline of what is yet to come. Think of it! Think of the deepest love you have ever had. It’s just a shadow of what’s yet to come. Think of the most delectable foods you’ve ever tasted. It can’t compare to the tastes of heaven. Think of the most exquisite sexual experience you’ve had. Our time with God will far surpass that pleasure. All the delights and pleasures that God has graciously given us to enjoy are merely shadows. All the delights and pleasures that Satan uses to lure us away from God are merely shadows.
So what am I living for? Am I chasing shadows, looking for meaning, joy and delight in them? Or am searching for substance and reality? Where do I find my meaning? Will I settle for the shadows because they are immediate or am I willing to wait for the Real?
posted by Magdaleine at 1:32 PM
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