Christmas: A time of lights. We surround ourselves with lights, sometimes white, sometimes multi-colored. And during the Christmas season, we burn more candles than at other times of the year.
Why
do we connect lights with Christmas? Because they symbolize Jesus, the light of
the world. (John 8:12)
We
also think of the light spread throughout the heavens by the Star of Bethlehem.
During
dark winter days, we crave light. When we struggle through spiritual darkness, we
also long for light. We are attracted to the brightness and warmth it brings.
We associate light with hope and joy.
And
Jesus said we are to be “lights,” too. “You are the light of the world. A city
set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under
a basket or a bowl, but on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the
house. In the same way, let your light shine before others. . . that they may glorify God the Father in
heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16).
In
his beloved A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens wrote about the lamplighter
whose duty it was to kindle streetlights so people could safely travel on cold,
dark winter nights.
As
you write your memoir, ask yourself these questions:
- Who has served as a “light” to you? Who are those people who did what Jesus said and let their lights shine in ways that ministered to you? Who were the lamplighters that lit your way and guided you through darkness?
- How can you, through your memoir, be a lamplighter for others? How can it shine light for the benefit of others? Include stories that will glow like stars in the dark night sky and bring hope to your readers. Point them to Jesus the light of the world.
Don’t
hide your story—as if under a basket or a bowl,
but
put it out there on a stand
where
it will give light to everyone who reads it.
Write
your story and share it,
glorifying
God the Father.
There
you have it, your Tuesday Tidbit.
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