I have a confession to make. I still have some of my Christmas lights up at home. I keep a few lights up all year. I find it comforting and soothing to have a little extra light especially this time of year. Those soft lights help me wind down and relax in the evening. How about you? Do you use light for comfort and peace? I know I do. The types of light we use can really change the feel of a room and the environment we are in.
Let’s think about all the different kinds of light we have and what it does for us. During the day, I mostly like to rely on the natural light we get from the sun. I love watching the beautiful sunrise in the morning and the sunset in the evening signifying the beginning and ending of the day. There are also many times when we need extra light. Think about all the types of light we have in our homes and the purpose for them. We have lights in our ceilings to light an entire room, lamps on tables to give us some extra light in a certain area, we have candlelight that is used for love and celebrations. There are spotlights, flashlights, and night lights.
All lights have a similar purpose, to help us see things more clearly. The smallest amount of light can help us feel more comfortable and allows us to feel safe and secure in our environment. We are drawn towards light and can even see it from miles away.
Light allows us to see others from a distance and gets brighter as we get closer.
Lights protect us from what might be in the darkness and helps us navigate around any obstacles in our way. Light can be described as soothing, comforting, peaceful, warm, soft, bright, luminous, radiant and powerful. Light can be essential to doing our work with precision and accuracy and we rely on it to complete our tasks.
Let’s get practical too. What do we need to have light? A lamp does nothing unless the switch is turned on. It has to be plugged into the power source, the electricity. A flashlight needs batteries, a candle needs a match, a fire needs a flame. The earth needs the Sun. The Sun determines the season we are in and is essential to sustain life.
When we are connected to our source of power, to God’s spirit living within us, we have a tremendous amount of power to overcome darkness.
The power of God sheds light on any darkness we are experiencing and allows us to see things more clearly with a new perspective and a deeper understanding. We as humans need the power of God, the light of His Son and the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Do we feel connected to the spirit of God? How can we tell? If not how do we get reconnected?
We as Christians have a precious,beautiful gift. We have been given the Holy Spirit to live inside of us, to be our helper, our protector, to be our guide and light our path along this journey of life. When we feel darkness surrounding us, confusing us, and making us stumble we need to get reconnected to the light.
What does darkness look and feel like? Sometimes it feels like worry, doubt, nervousness, comparison, anxiety, fear, guilt, shame, regret, exhaustion, criticism, gossip, headaches, sleepless nights and tired mornings.
Isiah 58:8 says
“Then your light will shine like the dawn and your wounds will quickly heal. Then your righteousness will go before you and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
Allowing ourselves to acknowledge the pain and darkness we are feeling is the first step to releasing it. Understanding why we feel how we feel is another step. Our anger tells us where we feel powerless. Our anxiety tells us something is off balance. Our fear tells us what we care about. Our feelings are not random, they are messengers and we need to let them speak to us. We may have to go deep within ourselves to get rid of the hurts, and regrets, things we may have done or that have been done to us. But God gives us this amazing power to forgive ourselves and others as we have been forgiven, to heal our spirits and to experience more freedom and light.
We as people will sometimes hurt and disappoint each other. But God has not called us to be made perfect. He wants us to be made whole. 1 Peter 5:7 says “ Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for You.” When we believe that God loves us and cares about what we are going through and feel approved and accepted by Him, then we are free to just enjoy the people in our lives rather than continually seek approval, validation and fulfillment from them.
Jesus says in John 8:12
“ I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
We are considered the light of the world through Christ Jesus and are called to live in this light. When we shed light on our weaknesses, or the darkness we may have experienced, and how we’ve overcome, God’s strength and power is revealed.
What does that light look and feel like in our lives? It looks and feels like strength, energy, courage, peace, balance, boundaries, joy, hope, forgiveness, freedom, encouragement, inspiration, motivation, momentum, acceptance of ourselves and others, purpose, and fulfillment.
How do we experience this light? How do we come into His presence and follow the light?
Psalm 119: 105 says, “ Your word is a lamp onto my feet, and a light onto my path.”
We go to church, we pray, we worship. We seek him daily through His word, we memorize scripture and we let those words come to us when we feel disconnected and stumbling in the dark. We remind ourselves that we are loved and forgiven, we are warriors who are equipped with the full armor of God to do all things through Christ. We can be strong and courageous through the strength of His might and that nothing is impossible with God. We remember that he has a bright future filled with hope for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. As we are children of God, nothing can snatch us from our Father’s hands.
And when we need to, we do other practical things to help us get out of the dark. We turn on the lights. We turn on worship music, we go outside in the sunshine, we deeply breathe in the air around us. We intentionally look for the good in ourselves and others and the world around us. We write down things we are grateful for and make a practice of expressing gratitude.
We fill our minds and bodies with good, healthy things. We exercise, we laugh, and have fun. We play, we sing, we dance, we love ourselves, each other and God. We work hard at something we believe in and accomplish our goals. We set boundaries and sometimes say no so we can find balance in our lives.
When we feel this isn’t quite enough and can’t find our way out of the dark, and it’s getting harder to see the light, we get help when needed. We find the help that is right for us through counseling, therapy, and doctor visits and we do the treatments and follow the advice that is given. We continue to stay connected to God. We hope, we pray, we believe that things will get better for ourselves and others.
We take things one day at a time, sometimes one moment at a time. We ask for peace to accept the things we cannot change, strength and courage to change the things we can and we ask for clarity and pray for wisdom to know the difference. We stand up for people when we see things that are unfair or unjust and we speak up when necessary. We surround ourselves with people who hope and believe as we do, and fill our heart and minds with good things. That may mean being more intentional about what we allow into our lives. We may need to change the channel, shut off the news, stop watching Tik Tok or YouTube and take another look at who and what darkness we are allowing into our lives and be more deliberate about replacing that darkness with light to regain our peace.
In my devotional book Radiate by Cleere Reaves it says,
“ The state of their souls, seen by the countenance of their face and the disposition of their spirit is not flaky or fickle. It is a resting peace, a lasting peace. Such people radiate the peace of God. Their tangible execution of standing on His word allows those around them to witness the transforming power of peace.”
Psalm 112:4 says
“ Light shines in the darkness for the upright, the righteousness are merciful and full of compassion.”
We can also think of light as being the opposite of heavy. When something is light, we can carry it with ease. We don’t have to worry or feel burdened when something isn’t too heavy. But what happens when life weighs us down with some heavy burdens and our hearts and minds begin to feel overwhelmed with that heaviness.
We all have and will experience those moments when we are so weighed down with a heavy heart that we can barely take one step forward and it feels as though we can’t catch our breath and that heaviness causes us to fall to our knees. Sometimes that heaviness happens to us or sometimes we feel the weight of what others are going through. When it happens to us, we let ourselves feel our emotions, accept the pain, the loss or the guilt and do what we spoke of before to remove some of that burden. We give ourselves time, space and grace. We seek help when needed and let others carry some of the load. We also have compassion for those around us, a friend or neighbor, someone in our community or another part of this world and we feel the burden they are carrying. When we know that others are experiencing the heaviness of this life, we can come alongside them to try and lighten their load. We do what we can, with what we have right where we are. Sometimes we can lighten it by a phone call or text sending well wishes and encouraging words, a smile, a hug, giving someone a ride home or cleaning snow from their driveway, a meal prepared and a prayer sent, an invitation to join a group or reconnecting with a friend. We can use our strength to take care of the practical things to lighten their load. And always, we remind them that they are loved by us and loved by God.
Sometimes in this life, God may be leading us to take some chances and try something new. To move forward in a different direction as He lights the way. To enter a new stage of life with grace and courage and trust his timing and direction. To use our talents, skills, experiences and resources for His Glory. We can have faith that when we walk in love and are a blessing, that Light always looks like and reflects Jesus.
Matthew 5:14-16 says
“ You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under a bushel basket, but on the lampstand , and it gives light to all the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
May we always remember that we are the Righteousness of God through Christ Jesus. We are a child of the Most High God. We are loved and forgiven. And whatever age or stage of life we are in, whatever our job is or where we live, our light has a purpose. We can walk in love and be a blessing to ourselves, our families, our communities and others by replacing the darkness of this world with the Light of Jesus love and mercy. When we know we are loved, we will radiate His love in return.
Don’t be Afraid to Shine. The world needs Our Light.