“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

A few years ago Phyllis and I took a trip to Alaska . As we were walking the streets of Fairbanks , Alaska , late one July evening, we remarked how brilliant the colors were on the flowers. We wondered why our flowers in Pennsylvania did not grow with such deep colors since we live in a warmer climate. After asking a few questions, we were told that the colors that we were admiring were the result of all the light that the flowers were receiving. At that time in Fairbanks , sunrise was around 4:00 AM and sunset at approximately 11:30 PM. Not surprisingly, flowers do better when they are exposed to abundant light.

Christmas is not my favorite time of year. Like the flowers, I like it when there is a lot of daylight. While the dark days of winter do not necessarily depress me, I do enjoy the month of June more when we have daylight until 9:00 PM. Early in January, I will begin to eagerly wait for the days to get longer.

In the scripture above, Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world. That is very convicting if you stop to think about it. Just as light benefits flowers, we are to do the same for others--only we must often shine in the darkness. That can be a very challenging task. Nevertheless, as Christians, we must be that light that gives life whether it is December or June. We must do this because as Peter said: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare to praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”(1 Peter2:9)

Prayer: Father, help us to light a path for someone today. Amen

Steve Smith