Walking, smiling, and waving hello

Holy ground is any place where simple things reveal the great current of love that runs through all things.

I was sitting near the door at a Sunday evening service not too long ago when a toddler walked into the room holding his mother’s hand. I think he was kind of wearing her out, but to me he looked like the Christ child. I’ve known this little boy since the day he was born, and I swear I hadn’t seen him walking yet. When he walked in he smiled at me, and I felt the sun rise in my chest. When I smiled back he turned and waved at me, and I thought I would melt into the floor like butter. 

It was like he’d all of a sudden put walking, smiling, and waving hello together and he was now going on a world tour telling everybody that life is a blast and meant to be fun.

I waved back at him and he smiled as big as all outdoors. I slipped my shoes off just for a second so my feet could make direct contact with the floor because for a moment we were on holy ground.

Holy Ground is anywhere in the whole wide world where you get a felt sense that God has just shown up for the cause of love.

My encounter with the toddler might seem simply cute, an emotional experience that doesn’t warrant retelling, much less making a mystical point about. I can understand that perspective. However, the more I reflect on the moment it seems like the most important thing that’s happened to me so far in Lent. Walking, smiling, and waving hello to whoever is right in front of you, well those are the basic building blocks of a relational life. And the joy, the joy of the little boy who is figuring out how to go about in this world, that’s the whole point of life. Ever since the universe burst into being with a Big Bang all of creation has been slowly building to the moment when that small child walked into our church, waved, smiled and melted my heart. I was born again from above at that moment. I want to walk into a room, smile, and wave hello to whoever’s there. I want to go forth into the rest of my life joyfully like that toddler. And like his dear mother, I want to nurture the same in others. 

So that scene is either cute or the whole point of life. Maybe it’s both. Yes, I think it’s both. You don’t have to go to some place famous, far off, and fancy to find holy ground. It’s right beneath your feet wherever you are.