Reflected light
At sunrise one morning, a tall vase of hydrangeas in a west-facing Victorian parlor caught shafts of light that brought out all the colors and threw entrancing shadows across a cherry-wood table.
Later that day, the top of a cypress in a planter facing east in a row of elegant brownstone houses that the sun had long since left, glowed gold – revealing what looked suspiciously like a smile.
Reflection from high windows opposite those grateful recipients had transformed their appearance, along with those of other windows all the way down that avenue to the house where the founder of the Monitor, Mary Baker Eddy, taught many classes. For those windows, sunrise and sunset had momentarily been reversed – freed of the restraints of time – confirming that there are no holds on beauty or goodness! City canyons that normally would never see the sun glowed in reflected light.
Humanly speaking, clouds and the revolution of the earth would sometimes interrupt such activity, but those remarkable moments do point us toward deeper consideration of the role of reflection – not sun-made or man-made, but God-made. At any time we are flawless reflectors, inseparable from our source, divine light, Truth. As the Apostle Paul wrote in the eighth chapter of his Epistle to the Romans: “Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us” (verse 39, Contemporary English Version).
Mrs. Eddy explained further: “Few there are who comprehend what Christian Science means by the word reflection. God is seen only in that which reflects good, Life, Truth, Love – yea, which manifests all His attributes and power, even as the human likeness thrown upon the mirror repeats precisely the looks and actions of the object in front of it” (“Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 23).
Our inseparability from our divine source was further clarified when Mrs. Eddy wrote that as images of Love we have not “a single quality underived from Deity” and possess “no life, intelligence, nor creative power of [our] own,” but reflect “spiritually all that belongs to [our] Maker” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 475). And this, we learn, includes good health, harmonious relationships, and peace of mind.
It doesn’t matter where and when the sun rises and sets, or whether clouds blow our way or not. God remains the source of our light and life, and our ability to reflect His goodness cannot be impaired or interrupted. All we need are open arms, a clear surface, stillness, and the wisdom to look in the right direction to become aware of it. As willing reflectors, we are reached by the light wherever we are.
Given the richness and abundance of God’s resources, just think of the scope we all have to live lives that stretch way beyond that analogy of sunlight on tall buildings. It’s our union with the Christ – “the spiritual idea of divine Love” (Science and Health, p. 38) – that makes the difference. It allows us to mentally step inside God’s embrace and draw all those around us into the warmth and security of a permanently sunlit place.
From an editorial in the Christian Science Sentinel.
