This time of year always seems to highlight a certain cultural fascination with light. The brighter and more colorful, the better. There are lights everywhere. It may be the only time of the year that people willingly pay higher utility bills.
On purpose.
Why? What is it about light that captivates us? In no particular order, here are a few things that come to mind.
Perhaps we should call them lightbulb moments? (Come on, you’ve got to love puns. They’re so enlightening!)
Light overcomes. No matter how dark the darkness, light breaks through. In fact, a little light can overcome a lot of darkness. What a truth, y’all! It doesn’t take a lot, and even a flickering flame can provide enough illumination to break through the darkness.
Light comforts. Even as an adult, there is something about pitch dark that causes me a little stress. The solution? Some kind of night light, even if it’s a natural source like the moonlight through the window. (Tip for all the manly men – this source of light is a lot less embarrassing than a blinky blanky.) There is something about being able to see that brings us comfort. Well, unless you’re starring in a slasher movie, and the light reveals the slasher. Which, in a creepy sort of way, brings us to the next lightbulb moment about light.
Light reveals. This one can be a little tricky because we’ve been taught to hide the things that we’re ashamed of or embarrassed by, but think of it this way: would any of us want to be operated on in the dark? Of course not (unless you’re the kind of person who really enjoyed that previous slasher movie sentence). Light reveals what needs to be seen, and even though it can be a bit uncomfortable, the result is worth it. Almost all the bad stuff hides in darkness, which is why we need someone to turn the light on. That’s what makes all the roaches run away, right, and that’s a good thing. Isn’t it? Roach-free living is a good thing, and I’m here for it.
Last one. Light saves, and that can seem strange because nobody has ever thanked a light bulb for getting them out of a jam because, well, light bulbs aren’t people. But there is light that saves, and His name is Jesus. John wrote that the true light – the light that gives light to everyone – came into the world when God took on flesh and moved into the neighborhood. I love that phrase from The Message translation of John 1:14, and it reminds us that light isn’t the point as much as the light is a person. Jesus, the Light of the world, overcomes, comforts, reveals, and saves.
This Christmas, allow the Light of the world to shine for you, in you, and through you, and know that, even if you were the only one who chose to, you’d have enough of His light to break through the darkness around you.
