Light in the Dark

How light is it where you are right now?  In a country where the sun rarely shines from November til at least March, I'm feeling the cold. Do you have nice warm lighting, or do you dread the afternoons when you have to put on the eco-saver bulbs just so you can see what you have to make for dinner?

Back when I was in University, I went on a choir trip to Minneapolis. In February.  It was COLD.  Colder and icier and darker than I had ever experienced. And I was ill. Half the concerts, I had to sit out because of an infection I finally got treated while there.

But one encouraging thing happened, and it changed my life forever.

I stayed one night with a host family who gave me breakfast by candle-light.  It was comforting and I asked them, "Why the candles?" They explained that their ancestors (Swedes) always burned candles on dark mornings. It helped them be cheerful to greet the day when the natural light finally arrived.

We are burning candles at breakfast now, and the children really appreciate it. It helps all of us feel warmer, and it's a more friendly light than the eco-saver bulbs.

I've been listening to a song by Sara Groves called "You are the Sun" quite a lot recently. In it, she describes how we can only glow when our face is turned towards the Light. Maybe you need some more Light in your life. Maybe a vacation to Spain isn't in the budget. And just MAYBE, even more sunshine wouldn't warm your heart. I know for me, feeling cold can sometimes be helped by turning up the heat in the house, or by going outside and feeling the sun on my face. But often that chill comes from lack of time spent looking at the One who is the True Son.