Shining the light

~~Evening is my favorite time of the day. When the skies start to darken I walk through the house, turning off the overhead lights and switching on the small lamps that we have in each room. There's something so comforting about the warm, dim glow. In the softness of  lowered lights it's easy to overlook the things that can bother you in bright sunlight;  like crumbs on the floor or dust on a bookshelf. No, in the evening the house has a feeling of shelter and comfort, especially on these cold, blustery fall evenings.

~~This evening as I sat on the floor, combing through my daughter's wet hair, I thought about how the feeling of "home" has nothing to do with the things in the house. It's not about decorations or style, paint colors or trends. Instead it's that feeling that you get from being surrounded by those who love you. It's the feeling of being comfortable and accepted.

~~As I mentioned before, I've been learning so much this year about the calling to "relationship." And God has been bringing this blessing into my life in the most wonderful ways. Today, as I visited with a group of women who have become so special to me I realized how true relationships can have the same feeling as "home." God has called us each one of us to reach out, to lift up, to encourage. For timid people like me, this isn't always easy. You may feel like you don't have much light to offer; that you're just one small candle in a big world. But in the warm light of friendship great things can grow.

~~How often have I held back, more concerned about my own insecurities?
And how silly is that, really? Our God has called us to relationship.

~~I'm reading the book "Saying Yes; Accepting God's Amazing Invitation to Artists and the Church." (Even though I just started reading it I've already devoured about half the book. It's that good!) In it Cindy says,

~I know that I've been blessed by others, shining the warmth of their lights on me.

And I'm so incredibly thankful.