You know how it is when you’re sitting in a darkened room basking in the glow of your Christmas tree… and you let your eyes get all squinty so the tree lights will blur into magical glimmers? Everything else disappears except those tiny bits of illumination.
I love the abundance of lights at Christmas time. They always make me think of the message repeated at our church every Sunday morning when a child lights the Christ Candle and proclaims, “Jesus said, ‘I am the Light of the world.'”* At the candlelight service late on Christmas Eve there were many candles burning in addition to lights on the tree, and the soft glow was soul-warming.
But light isn’t just something to look at, it’s something to live by — it reveals, illuminates, enlightens. It helps bring things into focus, helps keep us from stumbling. Walking in the light is an intentional action.
It’s true in life and it’s true in writing. (Of course this last post of the year has to have a writing application!)
A recent tweet from my daughter Shari Green (@sharigreen) announced, “Ooh, look! A light at the end of the Revision Tunnel!” Like me, she’s been working to polish a writing project and it’s beginning to look like we may both finish by year end. It hasn’t happened by itself, by waiting for inspiration to provide a way, but by deliberately sitting down and wrestling with words. Our efforts may have started in darkness, but by working consistently we’ve made progress towards the light… and we’re almost there. I love it when I suddenly realize I’m on a roll!
As 2013 draws to a close, a lot of people will be making New Year’s Resolutions. Not me. I gave up that discouraging practice a long time ago. I adopt key words for the year. As I squint at our tree in these final days of Christmas time, I think mine for 2014 will be:
Light (as in, following it)
~
If you’re in need of further end-of-the-year encouragement, here are links to a few of my previous posts:
2010
(Resolutions and the journey of life and writing)
2011
(Making the most of your December writing time)
2012
(What will this New Year mean for your writing?)
~
* Again Jesus spoke to them, saying,
“I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12
~
LIGHT OF THE WORLD (Chris Tomlin) – a music video
Light of the World
You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you
(chorus)
Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you’re my God
You’re altogether lovely
altogether worthy
altogether wonderful to me
~
“… if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus His Son
cleanses us from all sin.”
1 John 1:7
~ ~ ~
MUSINGS 
“Light” is a very good, inspiring word to choose for the year. 🙂
Lovely post, Mom. (And so fun that we’re both on a revision roll together! One more day…go, go, go!)
Happy New Year Carol! Good luck with your revisions and I hope there will always be “light” in your life.
Thanks, Shari and Darlene. I finished the revision *very* late on New Year’s Day… a great start to 2014 for me. Happy New Year to both of you!
I appreciate all the light you share with us. Hope your new year is filled with light.
I love the light in these photos and the hope that hangs on the wall. Perfect word with so many applications. May you have just enough light to find your way, but just enough darkness to stumble on surprises. 🙂
Thank you, Susan and Sandy! Without light we can’t see anything, so it seems like a good choice for me.