By: Ginger Hughes
I fear we’re making quite the spectacle of ourselves this holiday season. You see, my husband and I love white Christmas lights. We look forward to their simplicity and beauty each year. However, our children have much different tastes. They love colored lights or “rainbow lights” as they call them.
I remember loving colored lights as a child. There was nothing better than blue, red, green, pink, and yellow lights all strung together in a colorful display of fun and whimsy. And the bigger the bulbs the better. No little, tiny lights for me as a child—I wanted the BIG, colorful bulbs, and my parents usually obliged.
So, when our children looked at us with pleading eyes, all but begging for “rainbow” lights, my husband and I caved. This year, it so happens we put our garland on our stairs a bit early, before heading off to spend Thanksgiving with family. The garland already had white lights attached, and the stairwell is right next to our living room which houses our family Christmas tree. So we convinced the kids that white lights would be best on our inside tree this year; however, we told them we would use colored lights as they wanted outside. They were thrilled with this idea, and we spent the better part of the day stringing colored lights in bushes and trees.
And if that wasn’t enough, perhaps I should mention the large, plastic moose complete with white lights, my kids asked my mom for while out shopping during her recent visit. It’s now sitting outside among the colored bushes. Then there are the laser lights that a friend brought to our house wearing a huge grin and a twinkle in his eyes. “I just found these and knew the kids would love them,” he said as red and green dots plastered themselves onto the front of our home.
As I stood at the end of our walkway tonight taking in the scene, I couldn’t help but think we’re just a few-strands-of-lights-on-the-roof short of competing with the Griswold’s!
Lights of every color are everywhere. Our home can be seen far in the distance. It shines brightly for ALL to see.
And as we enter into this Christmas season, perhaps it’s time for us to ask a similar question: do we shine brightly for Jesus? Can someone look at our life and see the love of Jesus reflected there? Do our actions speak of His goodness? Do our words speak of His hope? Do we shine in the darkness of this world or do we dull our lights to better blend in with everyone around us?
Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A town built 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 others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.”
We are called to be the light of this world. We are called to be a light in the darkness. We are called to share the light and love of Jesus with everyone we meet.
Our home is a bit of a spectacle this year. It stands out, shining brightly. We should do the same.
-Ginger Hughes is the wife of a pastor, a mother of two and an accountant. She is a Georgia native currently living in the foothills of North Carolina. Her passion for writing is fueled by the desire to offer encouragement, grace and a deeper understanding that we are all God’s children. Her blogging for Nurturing Faith is sponsored by a gift from First Baptist Church of Gainesville, Ga. Additional writings may be found at nomamasperfect.com.
