Dawning Light

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” -Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬

Christmastime can be hard for a lot of us. For me, it’s a reminder of deep loss and pain, and it can be especially hard to join in all the merriment while grief is sneaking around threatening to drag you back down once again without warning. And yet, right there in the middle of the darkness, well that’s where the light dawns.

This verse points each of us to Jesus. He is the light of the world, God himself having left all glory to enter into his own creation. The very measure of his coming reminds us that we don’t ever walk through the darkness alone. And of course we remember that Christmas floods into Easter, when his purpose to defeat the very darkness and despair plaguing this world once and forever ensures us that hope indeed wins in the end.

Meanwhile, it’s still hard down here. And so I keep holding onto the encouragement of Psalm 84:11 that says, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”

I’m not perfect, none of us are. But if the gift of Christmas has found its way into our hearts, then we’re counted somehow among those whom God sees as blameless. And therefore, we can be sure his goodness and mercy are all over us. He is a sun and shield, shining into the darkest corners of our lives and protecting us as we move forward one day, one step at a time. Because of course shields aren’t designed for cowering or retreating, but rather they serve us as we press on.

Merry Christmas, friends. Rise. Shine. Take courage. Gaze outside into the beauty of the dawn with me and let’s dare to dream about the goodness still up ahead. God is with us.

#lightoftheworld #hopewins #godwithus #thedawnofgrace #sunrisesky #christmas #griefsucks #youarenotalone