The restaurant and seating were warm, inviting, and soothing. One could talk without shouting over the music. Everyone had their own space, so one was competing with a nearby conversation. As we sat down, I knew it would be a time of reflection, sharing, and collaborating. Looking up, the repeating pattern of lights set the stage my heart and soul were standing on, then and again with today’s dawn.
Every step is an opportunity to learn. The story will be told in many steps, repeating experiments and moments where one intentionally acts or shares a word. The paragraphs and chapters that follow are rarely revealed in a single step, even with moments that reveal the size of one’s heart or the opportunities we have. The lights were an integral part of the ambience, silently providing a foundation for the conversation that was slowly written and revealed.
There will be opportunities to use the repeating pattern to take a single pivoting step. Repeating patterns often lull me into a place of comfort. I can feel what is coming. The challenges and opportunities are familiar. I am confident repeating yesterday’s response will be a small step forward. Looking back and forward, I am looking for the life-changing steps I missed and can now take. I am encouraged by the great fathers who went before me. One example, “He doesn’t do this every year as the high priests did under the old plan with blood that was not their own.” (Hebrews 9.25) He took a big step that changed everything without the need to repeat it.
Light only occurs and is helpful with actions before and after. Someone needs to turn on the lights. This will create an opportunity to use the light. Light and opportunity only have meaning if the result is implemented through actions and words. We sat in the light and experienced a table of the chef’s unforgettable expressions of food. The value of the light will be revealed in today’s moments. Each is an opportunity to take a life-changing step of care, kindness, and compassion.
