When you think about Christmas, what are some of the things you think of first?

I am taking a guess here, but odds are you think about Jesus, possibly family, possibly yummy food, and lights.

Have you ever paid attention to how many lights are lit up around Christmas time? There are lights on houses, lights on trees, and lights even on cars! December 1st hits and lights begin to shine everywhere. We plan outings with friends and family just to go and see the lights, whether that be in a neighborhood, at a park, or in a parade.

Why is it that the entire world is drawn to lights at Christmas? 

When you are looking at them, they leave you feeling this sense of awe that is hard to describe. You become filled with hope, and they bring immense joy. What once was dark, is now light, and not only that, everything around it is affected by it because what wasn’t visible, now is.

As a pediatric nurse, I work in a very dark place. Hospitals aren’t necessarily “happy” or “light-giving” places. Day in and day out, as nurses we see things that are very hard to see. We are there for families in their most vulnerable state and darkest times.

A few years ago when I was working the night shift, it was a cold December night, and I was taking care of a patient who had been through something so heartbreaking that their body became impaired in more ways than one. I had taken care of them often, but on this specific night, they called me into their room because they were feeling anxious. So many thoughts and feelings were flooding their mind and they were having trouble falling asleep.

I asked them if there was anything specific I could do to help them feel a little bit better. They asked me, “Would you massage my head?”

I said, “Sure!”

I began to massage their head and in my mind was praying for their anxious thoughts to cease.

As I stopped praying and I looked up, I saw that there was a small Christmas tree that they had plugged in the corner of the room. It brought me joy as I was staring at it, and I began to notice how this small little tree brought so much light to the dark room. Not only that, but it made the things around it visible. I felt the Lord whisper to me at that moment, “The closer you are to Me, the brighter I shine through you.”

The Lord was showing me that just like this Christmas tree lights up the things around it, the closer we are to Him, the brighter we shine for Him. His light is always within us, but when we draw near to Him, His light becomes more visible to others. As I was drawing near to the Lord in that moment which was really hard, He showed me that His light was shining through to this patient who needed His light desperately.

While the lights at Christmas are so amazing, and what they make us feel is very special, what this world needs more right now than the hope we feel looking at Christmas lights, is the true hope that is in the Light of the world. 

And I want to let you in on a truth that the enemy makes us most often forget: The Light of the world lives in YOU. 

 “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.” Matthew 5:14-16 NIV

The Lord wants to use you to shine His light into this dark world that so desperately needs it. And it’s not that you do any shining of your own, in fact, it’s quite the opposite! It’s letting the light of Christ shine through you in all that you do. And in order for that to happen, we must let the Holy Spirit transform us into His likeness like we are promised He will do.

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

When we draw near to the Lord, He promises to draw near to us. He is always near to us, it’s our choice to also draw near or to keep a distance. The closer we draw to The Light of the world, the more visible His light becomes to those around us as we begin to look more and more like Him.

“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8 ESV

Drawing near to Jesus can look like: Reading the Bible, sitting in God’s presence, spending time in prayer, plugging into a Christ-centered community, sitting in wonder of creation, and spending time in worship.

Incorporating those things in the list above in my own life has brought me to encounter the Holy Spirit in such beautiful ways. I have confidence that if you begin to do one or a few daily, weekly, or even monthly, you will also begin to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. 

When we look at the story of when Moses went up to Mount Sinai the second time to re-make the Ten Commandments, it says:

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.” Exodus 34-29-30 NIV

Moses’s face was radiant from simply speaking to the Lord. 

My friend, whenever you do anything with the Lord, you become radiant. 

As we finish out this year and the Christmas season, would we be like Moses after he spoke with the Lord on Mount Sinai–beaming with light so bright because we simply have spent time with Jesus.

Allyson Golden is the creator of the online ministry Words Are Golden, where she champions women in their faith. A pediatric nurse, Allyson also runs an online community for women called She Who Speaks Light and is the author of the inspirational journal Words Are Golden. Her new book Arise and Shine, which this blog post was inspired from, releases on February 20th, 2024. She is currently enrolled in seminary to obtain her master of biblical and theological studies degree. Allyson and her husband, Michael, partner in ministry at their local church in San Diego.