Sooo I realize it's a little early... but it's for the Christmas issue; so just pretend it's December.. ;-)
CHRISTMAS TIME IS FINALLY HERE! The leaves of spring have sprung and withered away. The summer sun has warmed us and now provides us with just a fraction of the heat as the cold winds of winter and snow slowly blow over our homes and towns signaling the arrival of that glorious time of year. Not only do we get to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ; but we get to have fun doing it! One of my many favorite things about Christmas is the lights. I absolutely love Christmas lights. To be completely honest, I keep some sort of Christmas lights up all year long (and believe me, a lot of my friends have made fun of me for it). I simply love the twinkle of those little lights as they dance along my walls. Have you ever just sat and looked at a Christmas tree all lit up and seen how truly beautiful it is as each bulb on a strand weaves in and out of the branches? I love how even the smallest strand of lights can fill an entire room with feelings of comfort and warmth. But most of all; I love that a single strand of lights can completely pierce the darkness no matter what the circumstances.
CHRISTMAS TIME IS FINALLY HERE! The leaves of spring have sprung and withered away. The summer sun has warmed us and now provides us with just a fraction of the heat as the cold winds of winter and snow slowly blow over our homes and towns signaling the arrival of that glorious time of year. Not only do we get to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ; but we get to have fun doing it! One of my many favorite things about Christmas is the lights. I absolutely love Christmas lights. To be completely honest, I keep some sort of Christmas lights up all year long (and believe me, a lot of my friends have made fun of me for it). I simply love the twinkle of those little lights as they dance along my walls. Have you ever just sat and looked at a Christmas tree all lit up and seen how truly beautiful it is as each bulb on a strand weaves in and out of the branches? I love how even the smallest strand of lights can fill an entire room with feelings of comfort and warmth. But most of all; I love that a single strand of lights can completely pierce the darkness no matter what the circumstances.
Part of the reason I keep my lights up all-year-round is that they remind me of the best Light of all; the LIGHT to the dark world we live in. In John 1 it says, ‘In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (vs 4-5). Jesus is the light that God sent to shine bright in the darkness of the world, and the best part is that no matter what, no matter how hard it tries; darkness will never ever be able to overcome the light of Jesus. Jesus is the light of our lives; His word (the Bible) is the lamp unto our feet. The light of Jesus and His word show us how to live a life pleasing to Christ, how to love the people around us, and how to be a light unto others.
There is an old song that you probably know by heart- and it goes a little like this…
‘This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine! This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!’ Some of you might even remember singing it at this past summer’s convention. Not only did God give the world Jesus, but He lets us have the light of Jesus in US so that WE can shine it the rest of the world making Jesus shine even brighter and brighter. Think about this for a moment… did you know that the moon (that big bright shining thing in the sky at night) doesn’t actually glow on it’s own? Did you know that the brightness that we see at night is actually the reflection of the sun? That’s kinda how we as Christians work with the light of Jesus. Alone, we are nothing… but when we have Jesus in our hearts we reflect His light to the rest of the world. Because of that light; other people get to see Jesus.
So as you gaze upon the lights that decorate your houses and streets and towns; I hope you will remember the most important light of all. I pray that you remember that no matter what; darkness and sadness and hard times will NEVER overcome the Light of Jesus. Lastly, I hope and pray that you will keep Jesus in your heart so that you can be a light to the people and world around you.
Until we meet again my wonderful friends; Merry Christmas!
Miss Pickles
