Shadows. Some shadows are beautiful, like those cast by Pikes Peak into my sister's back yard this past weekend as I officiated at her wedding in Colorado Springs. Some shadows are spooky, like those cast in a dim alley at dusk. Some shadows are even funny, like those long, skinny ones on the sidewalk as I walk my dog just as the sun is setting. But shadows have one thing in common: light. You can never have a shadow without a source of light.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." (Psalm 23:4). Do you know why David thought of death as a shadow? I think it was because he knew about the light on the other side. Death is a passage through a dark valley before entering the land of God's eternal light. "God is light; in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). God is the divine light that turns the experience of death into a shadow rather than a dark night.

Perhaps, as the lilacs begin to bloom and Memorial Day comes closer, you will reflect on the death of a loved one. A mother or father. A wife or husband. A sister or brother. An aunt or uncle. A friend. Maybe even one of your own children. Perhaps you will visit the gravesite and put flowers on it. You cannot help feel the sadness once again as you ponder what that person meant to you. That's ok. It's good, really. Even Jesus wept at the tomb of his friend, Lazarus. (John 11:35)

Yet, you can rejoice in Jesus' precious words of hope that he has "gone to prepare a place" for you and for each one of us, his Father's beloved children. So while you're still here on this beautiful earth, marveling at its color and detail, remember that God has created heaven and earth as the setting for your relationship with Him. As the flowers open, open yourself to His promises that will last an eternal lifetime.

Shadows. Let them remind you, as a believer, that you can live each day in the confidence of His love. There is nothing to fear. It's just a short journey through the shadows into the full light of our Lord.