Light Forward
/“Before those people lived in darkness, but now they have seen a great light. They lived in a dark land, but a light has shined on them.” Isaiah 9:2
The season of Christmas is filled with lights – lights on the Christmas tree, outdoor lights of various colors and designs, light shows, candlelight, the candles of the Advent Wreath, and just the basic house lights. Darkness comes earlier in the winter with less sunlight to gives us warmth and hope, so we turn on more lights in our homes. Currently, I have the gas fireplace and the candles on the table lit to shine more light and warmth in the house. The Christmas tree lights twinkle in the cold that surrounds it outside. We need light. Jesus comes into the world as the light of the world to shine in the darkness of our sin and sorrow.
The name Jesus means “Savior.” Jesus came as “Emmanuel” meaning God with us. Jesus came to bring light into the darkness of our world, our lives, and our hearts. When I looked up the meaning of my own name, Elaine, it means light or shining light. My middle name – Janice – means God has been gracious or a gift from God. The light of life is a gift from God. I like the word “light” because it gives me hope. Light gives guidance and direction. Light reflects light.
For the past seven years, instead of making New Year’s Resolutions, I have chosen a word to be my guide for the year. In these years, the words selected have been – Good Future, Change, Purpose, Courage, Hope, Surrender, and Different. These words have guided me on the journey of grief and given me a future and a hope to live with courage in this different life. Just as I have defined my name, these words have helped me to define the years. They have kept me focused on how God wants me to grow closer in relationship to Him and to experience living in the present in God’s presence.
As I began to pray about my word for 2023, the word light kept appearing in Scriptures and in conversations with clients. My Sunday morning group is called “Light In the Darkness.” Darkness signifies sorrow and sadness and lack of hope. We have experienced life in these terms feeling darkness is all around us and hope feels so unattainable. We desire light and hope, but it seems impossible to find the switch to turn on the light to our life and soul. Just as the moon reflects the light of the sun and does not have its own light, we reflect the light of Jesus. We cannot produce light on our own. Sometimes we try to fake it, but the emptiness inside only allows us to sustain it for a short time. Our soul is empty and that is what sustains the light of Jesus in our lives.
So when we feel empty, exhausted and overwhelmed (which is most of us after Christmas), we need to be recharged just like a battery in a car. We need to be hooked up to a charger so that our light will again shine. The charger is Jesus himself. He broke through from Heaven to come to earth to be like us so that we can become like Him. Jesus is the light of the world. He is the light of our souls. In order to be filled with His light, we need to be more intentional of being in the presence of Jesus daily and stopping to take God’s hand to walk us through each situation.
In this new year, I want to wait for God’s light to shine instead of rushing ahead in the darkness. I want to look for God’s light in each day. Today, as I walked my dog in the early morning, God shined His light in the gorgeous sunrise. I paused to take in the light and to thank God for revealing Himself in the morning light.
I challenge each of you to go toward the light of God’s love and presence this coming year. In those times of darkness, trust that God is still with you guiding you toward the light – have a hope of a hope. As you see light and hope in moments, allow the light to fill you and re-charge you. Remember, it takes time to charge a battery, so it will take time being in God’s light and presence to recharge the emptiness of your soul. And when we begin to fill up with light, we can share that light with others on the journey.
Light Forward!