The restaurant brunch was filled with smiles, laughter, and a gentle light. It was a fun setting with close tables and conversations you could not help but hear and eventually join. The lighting complemented everyone and everything. The soft yellows mixed with just a hint of pink as the light reflected and wrapped itself around the individuals around me.
The setting and fun-filled experience that followed fit perfectly with each other. The scene took me back to one of the starting points, the light. As I took note, it was fun to see how the designer had clustered a row of individual lamps, working in harmony, to form a chandelier. In the listening moments that followed, I caught myself returning to the lights. The whispered stories felt more like metaphors as I listened to them.
Individuals, harmony, and purpose are powerful when they work together. I could feel the light as if I was sitting next to a single lamp. At the same time, the crowded room was well-lit with the power of many single lamps working together, no one outshining the other. I can only imagine what happens when love, kindness, and care work together, individually, in harmony, and with purpose.
Avoiding shadows is not an easy task. There were no shadows in the room. Tables, chairs, and individuals were bathed in the same soft light. I looked around and saw light coming in ways I did not imagine. With the one acting within a community, nothing was left untouched. It reminded me of Paul’s description of his calling; “This has all been pioneer work, bringing the Message only into those places where Jesus was not yet known and worshiped.” (Romans 15.20)
Light is the beginning of possibilities, not the end. The light in this room opened the window to what followed. The light was essential. The light was also, I think, taken for granted by many. The heart of the story came with what everyone did the foundation that others had established. Individuals experiencing life as kindness, care, and laughter blended in the light.
