My daughters like to light our candles. We have a new candle that came with a small batch of matches in a cool little jar that has a striking surface on the bottom. They have to be quick to pass the flame from the match to the candle wick. I think that is part of the fun for them. Being quick to pass the flame before it burns the match and their fingers.
This morning, I had a thought as the altar boy used a taper to light the candles before church; that our social interactions are like passing a flame.
There are two types of flames. One that ignites a person’s spirit so it illuminates their life.
These flames can be
- a smile.
- a hug.
- saying, “I Love You”.
- checking in on someone by text.
Any number of positive interactions is passing a flame that lights up a person.
The other flame is meant to burn a person, to destroy.
These flames can be
- rolling your eyes.
- a snide comment under your breath.
- a mean comment on social media.
- ignoring someone.
Any number of negative interactions meant to burn someone.
When we strike the match, we decide what kind of flame we will pass to another person. Are we trying to make life brighter or trying to burn down someone’s heart?
It is all Connected 