By Camille Brooks
One day last week I ran out the door to go for a run and had forgotten to take my face mask. It was 19 degrees and my face soon became icy cold. After about 15 minutes, I turned a corner and was facing east. The sun was just starting to rise above the mountain. The light of the sun’s rays streamed down upon my face, filling it with warmth. It felt so good!
As I ran on, I noticed there were patches of ice and snow on the road that had not yet melted. Obstacles had created shade through which the sun could not penetrate. I had to stop running and tread slowly through these patches to avoid slipping and falling.
I thought how often life is like that run. When adversity strikes, it can chill our hearts. Nevertheless, If we can turn and face Christ, His light warms us as the frost from a difficult world melts.
I have found that I need Christ’s light to warm me everyday, or a chill can come on. I need Him as the bookends of my day—I need to invite His light through the study of His words at the start of the day and at the end of the day.
However, turning our faces to Christ so we can feel the light, is sometimes not enough. There are often obstacles in our lives that are creating shade and blocking Christ’s light from coming through. We have to be humble enough to see them as wedges between us and Christ, and be willing to remove them with the help of His grace.
I have come to know that Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. When my heart is chilled with worry or fear, His light breaks through and warms my soul with comfort and hope. When the choices of others injure, His light envelops me with the strength to be kind and forgiving. When I feel inadequate, His light fills me up with whatever I am lacking. I have found I have to do my part to turn and face Him, or I can’t feel the warmth of His light.
Every day we need the light of Christ to brighten up our lives. As we celebrate His birth, He should be the light of our Christmas celebration. That Light rejuvenates and inspires us to be bearers of that warmth and illumination throughout the year. Sometimes, Christ is forgotten in our celebrations. How must He feel?
What if your loved ones had planned a magnificent birthday party for you. They decorated the whole house inside and out with beautiful festive decorations; bought lots of awesome gifts; prepared scrumptious foods to eat; and then invited the whole extended family to join in the festivities of your birthday, but forgot to invite you. What if the whole family—all who profess to love you—went on partying for days without even thinking of you. How would you feel?
So it is, I think, for the Savior. Christmas is His birthday and yet, at times, He isn’t even invited to the celebration. He is passed over and forgotten.
I invite each of us to let the Savior into our homes today and every day. Think about Him, worship him and reflect on how His light warms your hearts and lights up your world.
#LightTheWorld #givethanks #comeuntochrist
