Chili Pepper Lights

Earlier in the week, I took this picture of the Christmas tree in my office but just didn't quite have the words in mind to go with the post. However, after a good work out and shower, the image of a hidden lamp emerged from the depths of a busy day. A hidden lamp is kind of absurd. Lamps provide light in the darkness of the night. It doesn't make much sense to hide a lamp. Yet, in some ways, the red hot chili pepper lights that emblazon this tree were hidden lamps.

These lights hung in the cafe during our days at Saint Joseph's. The lights always made me smile when I entered the cafe. (The smell of bacon wafting through the cafe also made me smile, but I'll save that for another day.) Something about those lights just humored me and grabbed my attention. I didn't hesitate to make this known to others - including the director of the cafe. The director ended up leaving the college. However, before his departure, he gave me these lights. The thrill of receiving the lights still brings a smile to my face. Of course, they proudly hung in our apartment all of senior year. Then, they went into a box for over seven years.

This past Sunday, Jenn and I visited my home church. The message involved light and darkness. My mind wandered a bit to Christmas lights. I decided that my office needed some lights. Later that evening, I went into the garage to get the Christmas lights for the other tree that did not go up this year due to the move. Much to my surprise, the chili pepper lights were situated neatly in the box of lights and ornaments. Unfortunately, when I plugged them in to the socket, they did not light up. Jenn noticed that a wire was actually cut. However, one strand of clear lights also emerged from the box. Furthering my surprise, Jenn and my brother, Troy, promptly sat down on the couch and began moving the chili peppers from one strand to the other. Meanwhile, I was dancing around and acting goofy.

Needless to say, I could barely contain my smile when I carried this tree into work on Monday. A supervisor greeted me with a smile and shaking head. I'm incredibly thankful for the chance to share these lights with others.

I kind of wonder how many other "lights" are hidden and waiting to be shared.

A verse from Mark came to mind as I was thinking about hidden lamps this evening.

He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?"