Bright Spots in the Season: Let Light Shine Through Our Longings

Dec 01, 2024

Welcome to the liminal space between Thanksgiving and Christmas, especially for my U.S. friends. This space often holds a spectrum of emotions: excitement, nostalgia, joy, overwhelm and sometimes even an ache for what’s missing. For many, the season is filled with warm memories we long to recreate.

For others, like Billy in The Polar Express, who says, “Christmas just doesn’t work out for me,” the longing has been severed by repetitive blows of disappointment.

Billy, the neighbor from The Polar Express

If I were to chart my decades of Christmases, my emotional journey would be all over the place. Growing up, Santa always visited early in rural Illinois while we were at the Christmas Eve service—a taste of pure joy. But somewhere around second or third grade, a cousin's theories introduced a bit of disillusionment. The years that followed were a were a mix of ups and downs:

Seeing the tree full of presents.
Singing around the piano with my siblings: “There’s no place like home for the holidays,” “Let it Snow, Let it Snow…”
Lying on the couch with the flu while everyone else was in party mode.
My 18^th year when my mom's benign brain tumor grew, and we were told she wouldn’t make it until April. (Little did we know, God had other plans, she lived another 36 years…)
Exchanging gifts with family, friends, boyfriends, and later, my husband and the family we created.
The long wait for siblings to come home—or being the one with the long drive home.
Loss of loved ones through divorce and death, leaving tender gaps.
Watching Christmas through my child’s eyes.
Finding joy in giving to others.
Overwhelmed by the demands of “everything”, yet discovering the power to choose what matters most.

These highs and lows create a unique Christmas “stew.” Some years have been saltier, others sweeter. But through it all, I am grateful for the consistency of Christ in Christmas, the gift and steadfast anchor that never wavers.

To be honest, some of my most meaningful Christmas’s were ones where disillusionment was present. As a result, there was more room in my inn-er being as opposed to busyness and no room at the inn.

I’m in one of those shifting Christmas seasons with one daughter having moved away, unable to come home and the other a teenager. Watching through their eyes as they have their own shifting season may even be contributing to my own shift this year.

But God... Many of you know how these two words show up all throughout the bible. They are transition words from stories of lack turning into longings fulfilled.

Even before Thanksgiving this year, the sight of these two candles on my table began to speak to me.

The larger candle represents Christ, and the smaller one represents His spirit within me. This image speaks tenderly to a deep place in my soul challenging a lie I’ve carried over the years: “I’m all alone to figure this out.”

That belief made its home over my soul like a darkness, even though I knew in my mind it wasn’t true. Parts of me kept looking for evidence to confirm that lie. And as we know, we can often find “proof” for the things we believe, even if it’s just false evidence appearing real.

But these candles have become a softening agent of truth for me. It’s no surprise that, as Christmas approaches, God would use light to grab my attention. “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.” —John 1:9-10

When the veil of our Norman Rockwell Christmas vision is torn, God’s light can shine into our deepest longings.

His light pushes away darkness and illuminates truth. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” —John 1:5

An Invitation to Reflect: What is Your Longing?

What about you? Do you feel something missing this season? Are there moments of loneliness, whether you’re on your own or surrounded by others? Are you feeling disillusioned by something once steady that now feels shaken? If so, consider how God might meet you in that place, creating your own “But God” moment.

We were created with a longing that only He can fill – a yearning that reminds us of our need for Him. What if our longings are like an umbilical cord to abundant life—a breadcrumb trail pointing us home?

A Prayer and a Reminder of God’s Love

God, would you bring your light to the hidden places within us this Christmas? You see the places where we’ve clung to false beliefs, allowing them to shape our lives. Restore the light that deception has dimmed - in our souls. Like the years the locust ate. (I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten. Joel 2:25)

And this Christmas, may we know You more deeply, recognizing it’s about You - YOU coming toward us out of love, calling us back to the life You always had planned for us. May we receive your gift this year as we make room in our inn-er being for you and all you have for us.

An Invitation: Chase the Light Challenge

This year, I invite you to join me in a “Chase the Light Challenge.” These flickers of light are an invitation for us to be on the lookout for moments where light catches our attention and just follow where it leads. Like a child eagerly chasing after light, may we let God lead us to joy this season.

When a moment of light catches your eye, snap a picture. Let it be a small reminder of God’s presence, reminding you that you’re not alone.

No pressure—but if you feel inclined, let’s encourage each other! Share your pictures on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #chasethelightchallenge24. Or post them in the comments below.

Summer Camp for your Soul

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