Reflecting The Light

The sun is out today, and the morning clouds have all been chased away, leaving behind the uninterrupted cerulean blue of a bright Spring sky.   

I just got back from a trip to Costco and to the H-E-B.  For the uninitiated, H-E-B is only the best grocery chain in TX or anywhere.  I have to say Publix in Florida is pretty close, but I digress. 

Walking from my car to the stores, I noticed something interesting: people were smiling at one another more than usual.  

I soon found myself grinning back at everyone else, wondering if they were more captivated by my smile or that I was wearing a shirt that read, "Normal People Scare Me." 

I decided my smile grabbed them first, and then my shirt made them want to hang out with me. It is the kind of shirt that makes friends, I must say. I wore it once in Las Vegas, and I made all kinds of friends.  

Come to think of it, most of the people who wanted to hang out with me in Vegas were either trying to get me to eat at one of several off-Strip buffets or to see a magic show in some obscure hotel.  

At any rate, there was lots of smiling in and out of the stores I visited today.  As I loaded my groceries into my Jeep, I thought about why everyone was in such a good mood, and I decided that it had everything to do with the sunshine and the perfect 72-degree temperature outside.  

While here in Central Texas, we don't have the kind of interminably grey winter skies that our friends Up North do, it has been a long, cold, greyish few months. 

The light of Spring can change many things, though, and the mood of people doing their business on this fine day was definitely one of them.  In fact, the good mood was pretty darned infectious.  You couldn't help but smile in the midst of it. 

In fact, I was reminded of this great quote that I read recently from one of my favorite authors, Anne Lamott: 

The thing about light is that it really isn't yours; it's what you gather and shine back.  And it gets more power from reflectiveness; if you sit still and take it in, it fills your cup, and then you can give it off yourself. 

The way that the light was reflected by all of the people I was encountering who were feeling its warmth and beauty was a reminder of how true it is that light gains in power from being reflected.  

In the same way, when we reflect the light of Christ to the world around us, that light has the power to change the way we interact with others and with all of Creation.  It changes us, softens us, and makes us more open to how the light of Christ still shines even when the world might seem grey and foreboding.  

So, reflect the light today and every day.  Let the world know you've been transformed by your encounter with Christ.  Let it fill you up, and then give it off in abundance.  

May it be so.  And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.