Shadows on the Wall

It is the wise man who knows that all the truly good things- the remarkable things, the moments that made you catch your breath, the joyous days of youth and excitement- these were only shadows of Him and the Life to come. Endeavor to relive a great moment in your life and you will make yourself miserable. Attempt to recapture the past and it will leave you wanting. Try to be young and you will feel VERY old indeed. Pity the man who forever lives in the past and remembers "the good old days". This person will never be happy as long as they are believing that what was good is now lost, that somewhere hidden away in the past is a precious jewel called "happiness" or "contentment" or "joy". Anything that was truly good or meaningful was only so because it contained an element or a shadow of Him. Nothing that we have ever valued in this life was ever great or joyous APART from the Lord. He has either been in the moment or feeling, or there has been some part of it that spoke to our very soul even before we understood what the true joy was. May we never again see the shadow of a tree on the wall and think, "I have seen a tree."