Seeing and Being Light

While the other Gospel writers felt it important to share the circumstances of Jesus’ birth, John wrote about the reason for His birth.

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

John 1:4-5

John lived and wrote in a very dark period of history, when there was great persecution of the church by the Roman government. Unspeakable things were being done to those who claimed to be followers of the man, Jesus, who was crucified and yet still seen alive. The light that the life and death and resurrection of Jesus brought to the world, was a light that could not be extinguished by the rulers or the hatred or the torture of Christ followers. The Light was from God and in fact was God, in the flesh. And that LIGHT is as eternal as God.

As I reflect on that Light that brings life and hope, I consider the life of one who was a conduit for that Light. It seems that my blogs all point to my Dad in recent weeks. He is always so much in my heart and mind. It seems only natural to write about his impact on so many. At Dad’s Memorial Service different people spoke about how he touched their lives. The recurring theme was that he loved and valued everyone, without classifying or judging or comparing them. Everyone who spent time with him knew that they were significant and had worth, even in the dark times when we may have felt very unworthy.

My Dad knew the secret that many miss about the “Light of all mankind.” His light brings warmth and love and direction. Even though it may reveal the places in us that need to heal and change and grow, the Light shines to reveal God’s amazing grace, not His judgment. It reveals our limitations in contrast to His power.  

As 2018 draws to a close and we are looking at the new year, perhaps we would all benefit from revisiting the truth that there is a Light that illumines our pathway and will lead us to life, fulfilling and worthwhile. Running from the Light because we fear what it will reveal is futile. Running toward the Light brings us hope and healing and the strength we need to face whatever lies ahead.

See the Light…

Reflect the Light…

You may be the one that will bring lasting change to the life of a weary soul because you allowed the Light to shine through you.

Seeing And Being The Light

The Wisemen, the Magi, the Astronomers… whoever they were, traveled a great distance, following a star that they had seen that was an anomaly. It was something new in the night sky. An indication that the heavens were sharing a clue; a sign of something worth investigating. We don’t really know where they were coming from, but they likely were traveling at night because how else would you follow a star, right? Scholars speculate that they probably came from 400 miles away to get to where they could see this infant King that was of such great significance that the heavens announced His birth.

Contrast this with the fact that King Herod, self-absorbed, inward looking, tyrant who was known to kill his own children to keep them from inheriting the throne, was only 5 miles away from where Jesus was born. Yet he didn’t see the star. He didn’t know of the coming King. He was clueless until the Magi arrived at his palace to worship the new King. 

What you experience in life, what you witness, what forms you and directs your path is largely determined by what you are looking for. King Herod was looking for greatness. A legacy of power and authority. A place in the history books as one of great wealth and supremacy. His focus was himself and all that he could gain for himself. In the end, he died at an early age and is primarily known as the one who massacred thousands of baby boys in an attempt to snuff out the infant King, whom the Magi reported to be born right under his nose.

It matters a great deal where your gaze is directed. Looking inward, we often miss the greatness that our Creator and Savior has for us. Looking upward, we find direction. We find light. We find hope for a future that has been planned by an all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful God.

This Christmas, perhaps your heart needs to look upward rather than inward. Look to the light that draws all people to their purpose. Find the hope of a bright future as you follow the “star.” Look to Jesus for all the brightness and joy and wonder that a life lived for Him can bring. He will direct you to the place where you find hope. He will shine in the darkest places. He will build a deep abiding joy within you that will change you forever.

When we follow the Star of Christmas, we tend to absorb the light of His presence in our heart and find that others see Him, through us. I have seen that happen and it is a very real thing.

Thank you, Dad, for following the “Star” and for reflecting the light and the love of Jesus for everyone who ever knew you. I will do as you have taught me. I will dedicate myself to being yoked to the Light of the World so that others will somehow see His Light in me. If you want to leave a legacy, follow the Star.

Celebrate the LIGHT

I love the Christmas story. The Infant with the humblest beginnings came from heaven to earth as a human to bring us our first Christmas greeting. The Star. The Angels. The shepherds. The over-crowded Inns, The Stable. I love to read the story and every year there is something new revealed to my heart through that amazing event recorded by Matthew and Luke. The details of that ancient story are played out in churches around the world every single year. But, when speaking of Jesus coming to Earth, his cousin John states, “His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John wasn’t so much interested in recording the details of the birth of Jesus. He wanted his readers to grasp the significance of His coming.

As word travels that my Dad is in the final weeks of his life, I can’t tell you how many people have commented about what an impact he had on their lives. “He is the best example I have ever seen of Jesus.”  “He is the one who led me to Jesus.” “He walked more closely to Jesus than anyone I have known.” To those comments, his response is always the same. “Reflecting Jesus is what life here is all about.” 

My Dad has done a great job, in his 84 years, of reflecting that light that John spoke about. And I feel so blessed to be able to say I was raised by a man who centered his life on being a reflector. The other day he said to me, “I don’t want people to stand up at my memorial service and talk about anything good they saw in me. I am not good. I am simply the product of the grace and goodness of God. It doesn’t really matter what we have said or done. If lives haven’t been changed by God’s graciousness, it just doesn’t matter.”

In six decades I can’t remember a single time when Dad made any situation about him. His words and actions were always considering the needs of others. Of course, he didn’t always get everything right, but the Light within him always brought a humility and humor that allowed him to acknowledge his mistakes and laugh at himself.

It is such an honor to have known and loved the man whose heart’s desire was to be yoked to Jesus so that he could learn His ways and reflect the love and the light that changes everything. It is a total blessing to care for one who understands that it's not the duration of your life, but the donation of your life that matters. 

My prayer for you this Christmas is that you, too, will make the transition from viewing the events of Jesus birth, to meditating on the significance that His coming is to each of us. He brought LIGHT so that we would never have to live in the darkness. Walk in that Light. Look to that Light. Reflect that Light. Celebrate the LIGHT.