Light

Light
Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Glass
November 29, 2012

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God. –Isaiah 50:10 NIV Undeniably this is my favorite season of the year. The shopping catalogs are filling my mailbox for peanuts, classic fruitcake and beautiful baskets of fruit among other things. Grocery stores already have Frasier fir trees lined up by the door and the scent of Christmas is in the air. I will set aside a day to bake cookies with my granddaughter using the candied fruits you only see this time of year. The striking and tropical poinsettia is the universal flowering plant for the holidays and I will soon buy one to enjoy and a few extra to give to friends. And the final touches for Christmas will come when we hang white lights on the Christmas tree, set up the nativity and place simple candles throughout as we decorate our home. Light. The dictionary says that light is something that makes things visible. While it certainly makes tree ornaments and other decorations brilliant and festive with its shimmer of sparkles, there is a light that is even greater. God’s Light. We can hear about something but as long as we are in the dark so to speak, we cannot see. But when things are illuminated and finally, we can see, we understand. Spiritually of course I am talking about living a life of light that versus darkness. People may hear about the Christian life but unless they have ever seen it or watched a family that lives by God’s laws, they can’t see it. Many times, we are the light that illuminates the light of God for others. They see something in us that clicks and they want what we have. Maybe it is the way we react, or how we treat someone. Or how we use our gifts and resources for God’s good. Maybe it is the peace within us that comes with trusting God so completely in all our circumstances that people are drawn to us. We are always being observed. Our actions matter and they count. That is why God lights our hearts so that we can light the hearts of others. What is visible is tangible. And what is tangible can be shared and multiplied. Let our walk be our witness and may the light within shine as bright as the Bethlehem star!