Tiny Twinkles

As Christmas lights go up around town, Helen Syski ponders the combined wonder of so many tiny bulbs.

They give warmth and cheer to this dark time of year; Christmas lights are one of my favorite things! As the chill enters the air here in New England, and the darkness of night stretches into our afternoons and mornings, there is nothing so uplifting as little white Christmas lights popping up around town.

Each little lightbulb is of itself, so tiny. It can’t light much of anything on its own! Even one strand’s light is dim if you’re hoping it would help light up the wreath on the door nearby, or the faces of the nativity scene. But the more that go up, the more the home and street are brightened!

I often feel like one of those little Christmas lights. Small, inconsequential, not able to be much use on my own. And they always seem on the verge of giving out! Yet they brave the cold to tell us all, “Christ is coming! Love one another!”

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Remember, if it were not so dark, these little lights could not shine so bright. I love my lights and keep them up, ahem, sometimes all year. But they do not lend anything special to the bright sunny days of summer—they are hidden from view by the brightness of the sun. It is in the dark that these little lights spread warmth and comfort to those nearby.

Each little light is not actually inconsequential. When one goes out, so do all the lights thereafter. Or, in newer strands, it stands as a gaping void in our otherwise lovely decorations, causing the scene to lose its beautiful and comforting patterns of twinkle.

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If it were not so dark, these little lights could not shine so bright. #catholicmom

This Advent, let yourself shine as a little Christmas light. You do not have to do anything grand; you do not have to be the whole string. Just one little light shining bravely where God has placed you, bringing warmth and light to those around you. You have a role—even the light on the back of the Christmas tree has its light reflected by the wall to the room or shines out the window as a promise of His love to those outside.

The darker it is, the more noticeable the beauty God offers. When we live fully where God places us, we allow the others near us to do so as well, and the world becomes lit with the promise of Christ.

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