The picture that is here is one which I took on my morning walk this morning.  Like many pictures which I take, the beauty of the scene was not completely captured in this picture.  However, as I looked at the sky this morning and even as I look at this picture a few hours later, I find some amazing elements.

First, I noticed how the clouds all seemed to flow in this certain portion of the sky in a “v” shape toward one point.  It made me think about how life often seems to flow in one direction. We may not always know where that flow is taking us but it continues to exist.  The shape of the clouds also made me think of how geese, ducks, and other birds often fly as a group.  Having others with you in the flow of life seems to make life a bit easier.

Second, I noticed how the light of the rising sun danced against the clouds.  Since there were rain showers in the area, some of the clouds were darker than others.  However there was still light.  Life sometimes can have storms and darkness.  But even during those times there is always some light.  I recalled a quote of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series when he says, “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

I am always grateful to the Lord when I am sent visual reminders of simple truths in life.

This morning while sitting in my office, I noticed a flash of light outside my window.  Naturally, I immediately turned towards the window to determine the source of the light.  Upon my examination, I realized that what caused the flash was the sun reflecting off a car and into a window of a nearby home.  That was how a light flash seemed to occur outside.  This caused me to ponder for a moment the significance of reflections.  The window of the house and the window of the car reflected the light of the sun.  What is it that I reflect?

I decided that the one thing that I wanted to reflect more than anything else is the light of the “Son.”  By this, I mean that I want to reflect the light of Christ.  The church focuses a lot on the light of Christ.  Especially during the seasons of Advent and Christmas, there is a lot of talk about Jesus being the “light to the world.”  At the start of the worship service in my church, we have individuals carry a flame into the worship space and declare that it is the light of Christ coming into our gathering.  At the end of that same worship service, we have an individual carry the light out of the worship space declaring that Christ’s light goes out into the world and that we are to carry that light out with us.

So I want to reflect that light in my life.  I want others to see Christ’s light in me and radiating out from me.  I want to strive to be the best reflection of Jesus that I can be.  Hopefully, I will be that flash of light that causes people to stop what they are doing and investigate the source of light just like I did in my office this morning.

John 3:19-21

Brightcontrast (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last night I attended a community meeting that gave me a clearer understanding of the power of the presence of individuals.  I have been having concerns about the direction that one of our communities institutions has been choosing to follow.  Many individuals in the community have shared with me specific statements and actions that one of the leaders of this institution has taken which has caused them concerned.  I have experienced similar concerns myself and so I decided that I needed to be more proactive in trying to gain insights and be more present when the board of this institution met so I was dealing with facts and not hearsay.  I also encouraged other individuals to attend and some of them did.

What I found interesting is the impact upon discussions and non-verbal communications that occurred when there were a number of citizens present at the meeting.  I believe the presence of citizens communicated to the leaders of the institution that there were individuals who desired positive directions and decisions to be pursued for the benefit of those that the institution is designed to serve.  My hope is that this would be seen as a supportive and involved group of citizens instead of an adversarial group.  That being said, I do believe that it is important for the citizens to hold the leaders accountable and to ask questions that encourage informed decisions with a variety of input versus the input of one.

The other interesting discovery is that the presence of concerned citizens helped create an atmosphere of light.  What I mean by that is that the actions that took place, the statements that were made, and the discussions that occurred all happened in a very public light.  Again, I find this to be an important responsibility which is placed upon the citizenry.  We must attend these meetings so that we hear directly what those whom we elect are discussing and taking actions upon.  This way it is not gossip that drives our thoughts but truth.  Some leaders do not operate well when the light is shined upon them.  They prefer to operate in the dark because then they are able to retain power and pursue their own agendas.

All of these thoughts have led me back to a quote from Scripture:

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.