Lighten Up!

Everyone knows that lights play a major role in the Christmas season.  I wish it were not true, but I probably have over 500 extra Christmas light bulbs from strings of lights that haven’t worked for years. Recently, my daughter and I strung lights on our tree as my son sat on the couch playing Christmas DJ, serenading us with holiday tunes on his iPhone. His job was to squint to see if the lights were placed evenly. They rarely are. It’s not an exact science. Truth be told, that tree and my life both have spots that need more light. Not sure if I’m alone here, but I don’t even wrap lights all the way around the back of the tree.

What do we do when days, or even months feel like the back of the tree? Maybe the entire 2012 hasn’t exactly been a “light year” for you. Hang on, there’s good news.

There’s a law of science that says light never bends. Just try and burn a curved hole into a block of wood. It won’t work. Light also always travels straight. That is, except for God’s light. It not only penetrates straight to the heart, it bends. Around your walls and obstacles, past your mistakes and failures, and beyond future uncertainties. Light into dark places is His specialty. “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. John 1 5:1

But maybe you’re having a tough time seeing any light right now. You’re only seeing the tunnel. I often ask God to allow me to see His light around and in me. And He does, sometimes in strange places. Someone showed me a video where scientists at MIT recently developed a camera that shoots one trillion frames per second. That’s basically slow enough for us to see what light is doing. Only one notch up from watching paint dry in my book. Cool demonstration here. They called it “the science of capturing light in motion.” Not to discredit the endless possibilities this has in our world (and our iPhone cameras), but we can see Light in motion every day.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Last week, I witnessed $13,000 collected in one morning for the needy in our community. That’s light in motion. I saw the Light bend when a teenager spent his Saturday helping a young couple in a tough life situation, instead of Christmas shopping. I saw Light in motion again as a little boy handed me a piece of wrapping paper glued to sheet of paper with simple handwritten words, “Meare Cresmes.”

So don’t worry. The light of Jesus Christ travels in motion. It bends in every direction. He’s with you now and waiting around your “bend” till you get there. Someone once said that the speed of darkness is basically the same as the speed of light, as light as light chases it away. I pray that this Christmas season the Light of the World, God in the flesh, Jesus, invades every area and chases away your darkness. So let your light so shine before men that they might see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

By the way, my daughter did a great job, my son’s music set the atmosphere, and my 6 month old granddaughter… well, she just couldn’t help letting her little light shine.