This Little Light of Mine

“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”



2 Corinthians 4:6




My wife loves having Christmas lights on the house and this will be the first year I have put them up since we finished our house remodel. To be transparent I am not really looking forward to extending the ladder to the height I will need to raise it to attach the lights on the front of our newly constructed gable but hey, when you are in love you demonstrate it by committing acts of heroism. My wife can hear me singing now, “ain’t no roof high enough, ain’t not gable wide enough, to keep me from getting to you babe”. She knows I don’t like heights but I love my wife so I will once again face my fears this holiday season and with painstaking care to make sure each and every bulb is placed perfectly straight and without gaps.


As much as I don’t like heights or climbing extension ladders, I do enjoy the smile on my wife’s face throughout the Christmas season as she looks at the lights that decorate the front of our home. There is something about hanging Christmas lights that reminds me of Jesus words in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”


The reason Jesus words come to mind is due to the fact that I don’t just slap the lights up on the house, I take my time to ensure every light is perfectly spaced from the other lights and that each bulb is straight. I do this by stapling the cord on both sides of each bulb to the facia of the house. People of all ages enjoy the lights as they pass by. Throughout the years since I have learned the art of letting my lights so shine on our house, I have actually had people stop and remark at how perfectly straight our Christmas lights are. One guy even approached me one year as I was up on the ladder to ask if I was the home owner or if I was a professional light installer and was I available for hire. He made my day and his compliment served to encourage me that if you are going to do anything in this life, do it the best you can. In other words, let your light so shine that it gives you an opportunity to point people to our Heavenly Father.


It makes no difference if you hang Christmas lights on your house or not. Each of us do have the ability to do something with excellence today, to do our very best in such a way that other people notice, giving us the chance to bring glory to God. Christmas lights are simply a fun and festive way for me to remind myself that even though I don’t like heights, and I really don’t enjoy stapling the light string to the facia, I love the pleasure it brings my wife and her smile is God’s gift to me, a reminder of the pleasure that He Himself has each and every time you and I let our light shine in the darkness of this world.


The good news I pray that comes to your heart and mind this Christmas and every time you see Christmas lights this holiday season is that the darkness cannot overcome the light, but that the light overcomes the darkness, always. Every time you and I let our light so shine before others we are pushing back the darkness. That’s what I love about Christmas. Jesus was born into this world to overcome the darkness and to bring glory to the Father above. Christmas lights are a reminder that just one little light cant be overcome by the darkest of nights. Like lights, we are overcomer's too because of Jesus! So what are you waiting for, let your light shine today!



“The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.”



Isaiah 9:2



I LOVE YOU!