Look beneath the lampshadeDecember 09, 2024

We are in the season of Advent, a time of waiting, but also a time of seeing—seeing where and how God is present in our lives.

Not long ago, I watched a segment from America’s Funniest Home Videos that featured a mother observing her small daughter coloring with a crayon. The mother asked, “Do you want to play hide and seek with daddy?” The little girl responded, “OK.” She then put down the crayon and ran toward the closet. The camera panned to the opposite side of the room, revealing a man standing perfectly still against the wall with a lampshade on his head. The lampshade covered him all the way down to his shoulders. The little girl searched for her daddy in other places and only recognized him when he removed the lampshade.

This video made me reflect on my relationship with Jesus and the way I encounter Him in the people around me. Like that little girl, I often look for Jesus in the same familiar places, but in this season of Advent, I’d like to resolve to seek Him in unexpected, uncommon places—perhaps even in unfamiliar or hidden faces, like the father with the lampshade. The lampshade can obscure the true essence of a person from the world, and often from me as well. That essence might be hidden beneath feelings of fear, anger, disappointment, resentment, or other emotions that isolate or erupt.

I have found myself in situations where I was overwhelmed by someone’s negative energy and quickly excused myself. But what if, instead of retreating, I waited a little longer—long enough to look beneath the “lampshade” and truly see their divine essence?

Do I have a lampshade on that I neglect to notice? This effort isn’t about changing the other person; it’s about changing myself. The little girl in the video not only failed to recognize her father, but she also didn’t realize he was a living being. Do I do the same in awkward situations? Do I label people and miss their humanity?

Can I change the energy in a situation by changing my own? Can I raise my vibration by embracing emotions like gratitude, compassion, kindness, and joy? Is it possible to shift the energy in the room? Can I introduce positive energy without saying a word? What if my energy is elevated because I see the face of God in that person?

When we remove our own metaphorical lampshade, we begin to see the positive energy that exists within us, connecting us with others. Perhaps the resolution for this Advent season is to bring positive energy into every room, without expectations of a particular outcome, simply to share those uplifting emotions with others.

Sister Mary Eileen Boyle