Light in the Dark

Although we've lived in the Pacific Northwest for almost 18 months this is the first winter I've been here.  Last year the Little Guy and I went home for 10 weeks while Peter was away for 6 months.  We spent November through January back east and came back here in February.  I was pregnant and tired all of the time it seemed and I guess I was not very observant.  It was also before the times when the Little Guy liked to do things like go to the park or the zoo so I didn't notice if we made it outside that often.

This year the lack of sunlight is making me a little crazy.  I think I need to start taking Vitamin D.  It starts getting dark here before 4pm and by 4:45 it is totally dark out.  It's been exceptionally grey the last few weeks and I can only remember 1 day where then sun was really shining most of the day.  It's not depressing but it's not great either.  Thankfully it isn't super cold.  I think if it were cold and grey I might go insane.

We had a missionary speak at our church today.  He serves in one of the poorest countries in the world.  He spoke about being a light in a dark world.

And I just sat here and thought.  Maybe that is why God is letting me live here.  Maybe that is why the weather is so bad.  He needed a way to show me what it is like to live in darkness.

I used to joke with Peter that if he was stationed in Alaska that he'd have to get an Alaskan family and leave me in South Carolina.  We would laugh about it but I knew in my heart that I needed to be living in a place where there was a lot of light.

And now after experiencing these last few weeks here I have no doubt.  I was meant to live in the light!

Ephesians 5 says this...

⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.¹¹ Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³ But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light

Not only are we meant to live in the light but we are meant to BE light to a dark world that seems to be getting darker all the time.

I'm challenged by this as I think about my life.  Am I a light to people?  When people see me or talk to me do they see Jesus?  And if they do see Jesus is it a Jesus that they want to know too?  Or do I turn people off to Jesus.  Do they look at me and think, if that is what a Christian is I don't want to be that way?

I want people to see a Jesus worth knowing.  A Father in heaven that cares for them.  A Savior!

We celebrate the great gift of Jesus during this season.  My prayer is that people will see him and choose to live in the light!

So thankful right now to remember that Spring and the sun will eventually return!!