Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
(Editors note: I wrote this piece several years ago but thought I would bring it out of the vault during this Christmas Season.)
I drug out the outdoor Christmas decorations a few days ago – the whole, better late than never thing – only to find that Jesus, Mary and Joseph were without any means to electricity – no room for them in the plug (had to say it). Truthfully, I had no outside extension cord to even reach the plug. I knew the Hubs, in his vast collection of electronic paraphernalia in the basement, had the proper extension cord, so that I would not burn the house down.
Indeed, he came to my rescue only to find that Mary was, in his words, “hiding her lamp under a bushel.” Her inner bulb was burned out.
Fast forward one day… I was feeling the pressure to get Mary’s lamp-a-burning. I asked the then fresh-home-from-college son to fix her. Per his father’s instructions, he couldn’t use the curly bulb; he had to use the old-fashioned kind. I didn’t know if we had such antiquated light bulbs anymore, but I had to dash out the door to a meeting and I knew my son would get it done.
That same evening as the Hubs and I were headed home from the grocery store, we saw a bright light out in the distance. The light grew brighter as we approached the neighborhood and the closer we got to home, we noticed it was coming from the direction of … our front yard! We pulled in the driveway and had to look away for fear of burned corneas …. okay, I exaggerate, but Mary was certainly shining brighter than the other two. I’m guessing the only incandescent light bulbs we had were 100-watt.
We carried the groceries into the house and ever the wit, my husband looked at me and began to croon, “Mary, did you glow?”
We continued to chuckle about Mary’s brightness during our quiet time the following morning and even as we began to pray, I had “Mary, did you glow?” stuck in my head (my apologies, Buddy Greene & Mark Lowry).
As we were praying, I began to reflect on everything this precious season means. I thought about the glowing Mary in our front yard. How the light inside her was different.
Now crying, I began asking the Lord to help me live like the glowing Mary in my front yard. Please let me be so full of the light of Jesus that I shine 1,000 times brighter than the darkness around me. Not only in this season, but in every season of life.
I’m sure there are many deep theological parallels that could be drawn with Mary and the Light that is inside of her. Or that fact that we sometimes let our Light grow dim or even burnout. Selah.
I think I will treasure and ponder this thing, this word picture I’ve been given, in my heart, as Mary did so long ago when it was confirmed and revealed to her over and over again just Who she was holding in her arms. Her son, the Light of the World - Jesus. I will continue to try and let His light shine through me.
“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
