Shine

It's interesting timing that I was helping to clean out a friend's barn yesterday as the news broke about the tragedy in Connecticut. It was a sanctuary to me, keeping me grounded in friendship and hard work. I had no idea how sheltered I was at the time, bathed in goodness, even as I shoveled a path through a deep bedding of goat's poop and pee mixed with sawdust.

This morning, on a seemingly unrelated note, I found myself telling Ian about the baby Jesus being born in a barn. We laughed about how nowadays we both have a much deeper appreciation of what it would be like to be born in a barn. Then I told him our hearts and world are like a barn, too: smelly, full of poop, and layered with the litter of life.

Even in these messy places, the light of love waits to be welcomed in. Don't worry and fret about the mess. For God's sake, let the light of love in, again and again, so that you -- and the world around you -- might shine.