Shine your light on me.
Illuminate me. Make me complete.
— “Nova,” VNV Nation
I was driving through central New Mexico as the sun was setting a couple of days ago. The reflection of the sun on the mountains beside me was simply beautiful—the golden light, the pattern of light and shadow in the folds of the hills. Then, as the sun sank further, its rays were reflected on the clouds above, spilling a surreal pink light over the landscape all around me. A part of me yearned to stop and take a picture—but I chose instead to keep driving and simply bask in the beauty of the moment.
This experience reminded me of a story I’d read in an article I was editing, earlier this week, retelling one of Rumi’s wisdom stories. In this story, two groups of artists compete to prove their mastery. One group painted a room with beautiful images using amazing paints; the other group cleaned the walls of the adjacent room until they shone like a mirror. When the door between the rooms was removed, the paintings of the first group were reflected in the mirrored walls of the second, underscoring that it is the cleansing of the heart (or mind, or soul) that allows us to properly reflect God’s glory.
This image, taken a few months ago, is of Chimney Rock at Ghost Ranch, also reflecting the light of the setting sun. It seems to me that every bit of God’s creation, ourselves included, has the potential to shine like this, to be illuminated, completed, as we reflect the light of God’s love.
What polishing might you need to do in order to more perfectly reflect God’s light?
