By Clare Langan
What does “stained-glass window living” mean?
We are all like stained-glass windows. Could it be that our (main) purpose in
life is to discover what will allow the divine spotlight to shine through us, in
order that the greatness of creation, that is our essence, can be seen clearly?
James Baldwin said “Your crown has been bought and paid for. All you must
do is put it on.” When that crown is put on it is like having a laser beam shine
through us – we become dazzling.
Each of us has a unique path to follow, that will enable the divine light to shine
as brightly as possible directly through us, thereby illuminating a magnificent
stained-glass window.
A stained-glass window comprises many different panes and each of these is
like the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. These are the corner stones of all faiths.
Some people will dim our light and so we need to be conscious of their role in
our life and act accordingly, but we also need to be most wary of our ability to
dim our own light, for example when we are not acting from our highest self;
when we don’t say the words of kindness we know are needed for fear of
feeling uncomfortable, or when we look at the future with a negative slant,
listening to any self-limiting beliefs. These behaviours are all like pollution on
the window and need to be washed away with the cleansing water of
mindfulness and awareness.
But how will we know when the light is pouring through our stained-glass life?
We will lose all sense of time and be fully in the eternal now, absorbed in living
the life we were born to, and resonating in a glorious sense of flow, but most
beautifully the divine light will irradiate others and person by person the whole
world will become illuminated.