Chasing Shadows

"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins."
Hebrews 10:1-3

I was in my back yard watering yesterday. While doing so, I noticed my dog Buddy frantically running around the yard in erratic patterns. Knowing how he likes to chase things, I stopped to observe him and see what had caught his attention. It turns out that he was chasing the shadows of birds and butterflies flying overhead. Rather than chasing the things making those shadows, he was perfectly content to chase their shadows, even if it meant he never actually caught anything.

As much as I love Buddy, I will be the first one to admit that he's not the brightest bulb in the chandelier. His adorable face is a distraction from the fact that he's one sandwich shy of a picnic. Truth be told, his sister Molly got all the brains and he got the good looks.

As I was watching him and amusing myself at his antics, I was thinking that people aren't a whole lot different than Buddy when it comes to chasing shadows. How often do we expend time, energy and resources chasing after things that only have the appearance of what it is we really want or desire? Even the Bible talks about shadows in this regard. The writer of Hebrews stated that the law was only a shadow of the life that is perfected through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. He acknowledged the futility of making annual sacrifices that could never permanently resolve the sin problem of the one who desired to worship God and be in constant fellowship with Him.

What are some of these shadows that we waste our time chasing?

• We chase the shadows of money, thinking it will provide us security.
• We chase the shadows of material possessions, thinking they will provide us with happiness.
• We chase the shadows of sex, thinking it will satisfy our need for companionship and love.
• We chase the shadows of youth and beauty, thinking they will make us more desirable.
• We chase the shadows of alcohol, drugs or food, thinking (and hoping) they will erase our physical or emotional pain.
• We chase the shadows of successful careers, thinking they will provide us with admiration and approval of our families and friends.
• We chase the shadows of legalism, thinking it will bring us closer to God.

I'm sure there are many other shadows that we chase, but these are a few that came to mind.

The fact is, there are many things that we chase for all the wrong reasons. There is nothing wrong with having money or possessions or a satisfying sex life (with your spouse, of course). And I am the first one to enjoy a good meal accompanied by a fine glass of wine. And there is nothing wrong with excelling in your chosen profession, using your God-given talents to provide valuable products or services. And there is nothing wrong with having a moral code of conduct to live your life by.

But when we chase these things for the alleged benefits we associate with them, we soon find ourselves off track and misplacing our priorities. We run the risk of replacing God's blessings in our lives with the shadows of those blessings, and sooner or later we will discover that we have been chasing nothing more than wind.

Just as a shadow quickly disappears when the sun is obscured by the clouds, or a light is extinguished, so all those "shadows" I mentioned above can disappear in an instant. Money and possessions are fleeting, as are youth and beauty. Jobs are lost, addictions are insidious, and our moral compasses get out of alignment. The only permanent thing in this life is God's love for us. Everything else that we enjoy and take for granted has an expiration date. Just this month alone, one of my friends lost his son and and another lost his home and pets in tragic accidents that no one would have ever predicted. I've lived through enough recessions to have lost more money than some people will make in a lifetime. Yet through all these losses, one thing remains - the presence of a loving and merciful God, who sustains us and preserves us, even when we are crying out in the night for answers that may never come.

What shadows are you chasing today? Where do you need to realign priorities in your life? No one can answer that for you; only through personal introspection and examination can you determine where your time, energy and resources are being misspent. Ask God to show you those shadows, and He will. I know He's showing me mine.

As we enter this Holy Week during which we observe the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord, I pray that you will find a renewed sense of purpose in your life, eliminating the shadows and seeking out the true blessings of God.

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David