Tag: darkness

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Christmas holiday

The Light is Coming

“In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.” Francis Bacon

Happy Christmas Eve! The light is coming tonight!

“In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.”

Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon Quotes.” BrainyQuote.com. BrainyMedia Inc, 2021. 24 December 2021. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/francis_bacon_119506

I took this photo several Christmas Eves ago. It was a snowy night and I noticed how our lamp shone in the darkness so brightly. It was a beacon to all who were coming to our house that evening. Without the lamp, it would have been easy to slip and trip.

Photo of a lamp on a snowy Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve, 2010 in Indiana

In the background, a neighbor has his Christmas lights going. Many of us love to put up Christmas lights. Of course, that can get some of us in trouble! But we are willing to take the risk in order to bring a little brilliance to the darkness.

Last night, I was wrapping things up at work and left around 6:00 PM. I was surprised when I left because it was so dark outside. It felt like it was the middle of the night. I was thankful for the parking lot lights. I rarely think about them any other time. Most times, I am gone before they light up. But I was thankful for them that evening.

Unfortunately, we don’t think much about illumination until we need it. Then we can be caught off guard. We grab our flashlight only to discover the batteries are dead. We can’t find the candles we stashed away, nor a lighter. Then we think of our cell phone light only to remember you needed to charge it. Light is something we take for granted until we are stumbling around in the dark, seeking it.

So this Christmas Eve, let’s remember that the light is coming. May it light our ways and remember there is hope, joy, and peace for those who seek it.

Categories
Christianity Christmas holiday

Christmas Stress

Christmas Stress

Frequently, we feel less peace and joy and more Christmas stress. With two days to go, it feels like the stress level has gotten to an all-time high.

  • That special toy the daughter wants won’t be available until next Christmas… or the next decade
  • Travel looks to be getting complicated with another wave of the virus. Should we even go to Granny’s?
  • The office has never been this busy before Christmas. Where did all this business come from anyway?

Christmas stress has always been prevalent. I wrote about it and drew this cartoon in 2012. But of course, the last two years have had added layers of stress. We just don’t know what the future holds. Short-term and long-term planning seems impossible.

Cartoon of a boy with a wreath on his head

What do we do when the stress is getting to us? How can we keep from taking it out on our loved ones with a strategically placed wreath? Slow down, take a deep breath and remember the reason for the season.

“When they [Magi or Wise Men] saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.”

Matthew 2:10–11 (KJV) via Bible Gateway.com

Remember the Why

Why do we celebrate? It isn’t about any of these:

  • The perfect present under the tree
  • Getting together with family
  • A Martha Stewart, or Pioneer Woman-inspired spread on a snowy Christmas morning

It is about a baby and the hope he brought a cold, dark world. The winter solstice has come and the days are already getting longer. Winter will be here for a while, but summer is coming. The Light of the World has come into the world as well. We can slow down, celebrate, and know things will be all right.

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motivation

In the Bleak Midwinter

In the bleak midwinter

It’s a cold, frosty morning as I write this. In the northern hemisphere, Winter officially arrives at 10:59 AM EST. It will be the shortest day of the year and I am looking forward to the sun making a valiant effort to beat back the darkness and cold for another six months.

As a child, I was intrigued by how winter came just four days before Christmas. It was as if the world acknowledged how dark and dismal things have gotten, but then reminded us that Christmas is coming. I’ve written a few thoughts on this time of year before. It’s a time that reminds me to persevere through the dark and cold times.

Winter Solstice Sunrise in Southwest Ohio
Winter Solstice Sunrise in Southwest Ohio, 2019

One Christmas carol we don’t hear much is, “In the Bleak Midwinter.” It’s a soft, contemplative song. I like how it makes me pause and think.

In the Bleak Midwinter: Susan Boyle

Winter causes us to pause and contemplate. In the colder regions, there isn’t much to do except stare outside and pine for warmer days. Winter reminds us that the world is a cold place. Christmas gives us hope that a little ember will grow into a fire.

This year feels like an even more bleak time. We thought we beat the coronavirus only to have the Omicron variant blaze onto the scene. The news is bleak and dark. However, Christmas is in four days. Summer is just 181 days away. Things will get better. Just hold on; brighter days are coming!

Categories
Christianity

A Good and Perfect Gift

A good and Perfect Gift

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

James 1:17 (KJV) from BibleGateway.com

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. I’ve written before how I love this time of year.

Takers and Givers

This holiday weekend, I’ve read about flash mob robberies. It is where a group of thieves organize themselves to rob a store. The number of criminals overwhelms store employees so that they get away with the goods through brute force. As a result, thieves take what does not belong to them There is nothing good about taking what doesn’t belong to you.

You can’t take a gift. No one can take what is already given. When a gift-giver gives something with no strings attached, it is a sign of goodwill and generosity. A gift isn’t earned. It cannot be taken. It is frequently a sign of affection and love.

No Strings Attached

I have witnessed love through generosity and affection this weekend. And I will witness it today as I go to church and get ready to teach elementary kids about how contentment can prepare our hearts to be generous no matter how rich or poor they are. We will say, “You can always use what you have to help someone else.”

Good and perfect gifts come with no strings attached. There is no emotional baggage or terms. Advent reminds me that a good and perfect gift is coming. It will change the world forever. While it’s true the world can still be a dark place, there is hope in a good and perfect gift.

May the light of this season illuminate our hearts as we realize we can be the recipients, and perhaps the patron, of good and perfect gifts.

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”

Isaiah 9:2 (KJV) via Bible Gateway
Categories
holiday

Happy Hallow-Reformation Day!

A flock of birds flying from a cornfield to some trees

Happy Halloween(or Reformation Day)! Yesterday on my run, I encountered what must have been hundreds of birds. As I ran by a cornfield, I heard dozens of wings flutter and a flock took off for the safety of some trees. If it was darker, it would have been a perfectly spooky end of the day.

As I jogged along, I saw and heard more birds. They were chattering while trying to stay warm and dry. I thought about the upcoming winter. The number of birds will be dwindling soon as the cold and short food supplies will test them all.

We experience cycles of life, testing, and death all the time. The days are getting darker and colder where I live. Yet, in six months, it will be a time of rebirth and renewal. It will be a little reformation of the world around us.

Stay safe tonight! Know that no matter how dark things appear, no matter how many ghosts and ghouls come knocking, there will be brighter days ahead. Instead of being part of the dark, be part of the light. May you have a little reformation in your soul and be renewed today.