Chasing Shadows

 Did you ever chase your own shadow as a child? I did. I ran after that shadow caused by the sun. I sprinted after that shadow, but if I ever caught up to it, I found that I caught up with nothing. Chasing shadows is an exercise in futility. 

Grown people do the same thing on a daily basis. They chase the shadows of some illusion of what they think will make them happy. A new marriage partner, a new job, a change of scenery, to get a job promotion, or to purchase a house. Always chasing something. Expending precious days in the persistent pursuit of phantom things that can never satisfy. Nothing on this earth can ever ultimately satisfy the deepest cravings of our soul. 

Those cravings can only be satisfied by God and eternal things. As long as Satan can keep us chasing shadows alluring with the next thing, we fail to stop and realize we are chasing these things in vain. Things we chased in the past did not satisfy, but we are deceived into thinking the next thing will finally bring that elusive contentment we have always longed for. 

I admit I have chased my share of shadows. Even when I finally caught them, or secured that thing I wanted so badly, I did not find any more contentment then than I had while still chasing. At one time I was convinced that owning my own home would bring that elusive satisfaction I sought. It did not. Just four years later I prayed begging God to sale that long sought after house after we relocated to a new ministry. 

The Psalmist wrote in Ps 73:25 that besides God there was nothing on earth he desired. Can we say that? Can we honestly confess that we crave God more than anything or anyone on this planet? God sees the truth. He knows how much of our time, energies, and even prayers are spent chasing shadows. What will it take to wake us up so we do not waste an entire life doing this?

I can read scriptures like Phil 3:7-8 and Phil 3:10-12, but I still get duped into chasing shadows from time to time. I am ashamed to admit how much I have wasted over my life chasing after empty allurements that could never fill the longings of my heart. The only way to wise up is to stay connected to God and focused on His word. It is when I peek my eyes above the pages that I get off track. Let me chase after Him and not after shadows.