Soul Radiation

Light does not always produce heat, especially when you're in the shadows.

Under a brightly lit, cloudless, blue canopy, I peddled my way along the streets of the District to my favorite morning coffee shop. Uniformed city workers- shivering and clutching themselves- hurried along sidewalks to punch the clock and escape the frigid air. Cabbies outside Starbucks, paper coffee cups in hand, braved the chill, standing closer together than usual, in their ritual of friendship. Perhaps they were hoping to drink in warmth from bodies of buddies as well as coffee.

Dressed for the cool morning, I picked up my usual and headed to the quiet, urban garden where I often read, reflect, and pray. Even there, in this little city sanctuary, I thought I heard the clattering of teeth. Perhaps it was the trees neatly planted amidst cement pots shaking from the root.

Suddenly, everything changed. The maze of high rise buildings gave way to the Sun's warm rays- rays falling upon my welcoming skin and sinking deep into my limbs and bones. Ah, the welcome of warmth.

As I said, light does not always produce heat, especially when you're in the shadows. So, what are the things that turn up the heat in your life? What do you do to place your life in the direct rays of God? What are the things that keep you in the shadow -away from the warmth that melts your otherwise shivering soul?

Light is good and necessary, but it is not enough. One must step out of the shadows as well to welcome the heat. How else can we ever expect our lives to radiate God's love on the chilly sidewalks of God's world, as people around us hurry to punch the clock, or gather together hoping even the presence of friends might bring warmth to their clattering bones?