A Sign Unto You
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” -John 8:12
All light had vanished as another day had ended. I sat on the couch in my living room feeling alone, scared, and rejected. It was December of 1988 and only a few days remained before Christmas. However, the spirit of Christmas with its decorations, parties, and other holiday splendor were not felt by me on that chilly evening. Feeling dejected, I mumbled a prayer to God asking for some tangible sign that things would be okay.
As I opened my eyes, I was amazed that a golden glow in the dark room was shining on the tiny nativity scene that I had purchased on a whim the previous week. The engineer in me tried to figure out why there was a glow or light of some sort even possible. Not a single light was on in the house, the curtains were drawn, and even when I walked over to the nativity, the Baby Jesus glowed regardless of where I tried to block out that light.
I remember feeling perplexed, amazed, and in the end, I felt a comforting warmth inside of me that I knew came from knowing that God had heard my plea for a “sign” in the dark. The nativity never glowed again after that occurrence, but the light God provided to me on that one lonely night was enough to give me hope that He was with me and things would be okay.
I still give thanks for the tiny bit of light which shone for my benefit that lonely night. Though 2020 has been challenging in many ways, may we all feel the warming light this season – the Christ light that provides resilient hope in all situations.