MONDAY, DECEMBER 18

John 1:  3-4 (MSG) Everything was created through him; nothing-not one thing-came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by.

Special Christmas memories are sometimes the most simple. Sometimes they are the ones that truly shine the Light of the Christmas season. When our children were preschoolers, we lived in a different community.  Our living room was surrounded by glass on two sides. The third side of the room housed a glass china cabinet that was backed with a mirror, and an over-sized picture with a glass frame hung on the fourth side of the room. Every year we placed our Christmas tree in front of one of the glass walls and strung the tree in white bulbs. In the evenings we would turn out the living room lights, plug in the tree lights, and watch the reflections from the tree. Twinkling stars sparkled from the tree onto each window.  The white lights blinked and glimmered in the darkened room. We would lie on the floor and watch as they danced as reflections across glass tables, the picture, the china cabinet and its mirror. The room was surrounded with glittering crystal. The sparkling images filled us with the excitement of the holiday season as well as the awe of the Christmas Promise. Contentment and peace washed over us. With carols playing in the background, we spent hours mesmerized by the beauty of the lights. Like the light of our tree reflected in the glass of our living room is the Light of our Savior reflected in our lives.  Christ’s love ignites Christians setting their hearts ablaze with the Good News. That same Light shines and reflects in our eyes, our speech, and our actions as we show God’s love. It is that Light that fills us with awe and brings to Christians all over the world contentment and peace. God’s life is the Light to live by!

Tami R.