Abiding in His Light

I love the Christmas season, as do most of us, for so many reasons: the anticipation of special time with family and friends, the excitement of gift-giving and sharing with others, the sensory overload of Christmas decorations to admire and enjoy, and the pure and humble experience of celebrating the birth of our Savior and all that His coming means to us. It’s my favorite season of the year, despite the somewhat hectic schedule that I tend to put on myself (I’m such an overachiever, but that’s a topic for another day.)!

I’m usually the first one up in our house, so during the Christmas season, my first self-appointed job, after letting the dogs out, is to plug in the lights on our Christmas tree. Top priority, right?! The day simply cannot begin well without the joy of admiring the shining glow of the Christmas tree in the corner. 

Now, I will admit that, in contrast, the actual process of putting the lights on the tree each year is not quite as enjoyable–it’s a complicated and consistently annoying affair. I don’t understand how each season the lights work just fine on the tree for a month straight with no issues at all, but somehow, after sitting unused in a box all year, they mysteriously DON’T work when I get them out again. And each year I pack them away carefully in the box, and they somehow become a tangled mess completely on their own when I retrieve them again. And stringing the lights on the tree? Well, that, my friend, is a battle of epic proportions. My perfectionist nature rears its ugly head, requiring numerous attempts of carefully wrapping the strings around the tree until the lights are “evenly disbursed”–this is a long and tedious affair, accompanied by a lot of grumbling. My husband has learned over the years NOT to help me while I’m at war with the lights, but every now and then, he’ll interject some kindly intended comment like, “How’s it coming?” or “It’s looking good!” only to retreat quickly into silence after receiving the “look.”  

But when it’s done,... Oh the joy of seeing the lights shining on the tree makes it worth the hassle! There is just something about the warm glow of light on a cold winter day. It’s the experience of sitting quietly, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket, in the dark of early morning, simply basking in the glow of the Christmas tree–it’s so peaceful! 

I’ve been reading a book called Beloved by Francis Chan, which has been so spiritually refreshing (I highly recommend it.). I recently came to a section where he was talking about how much we are missing out on when we don’t take time to abide in Christ. For some reason, it made me sit up and take notice–God highlighted that thought for me. I began to consider how I live my own life each day. I mean, in general, I feel truly blessed, but am I still missing out? Could there be more? What is my heart really focused on each day? I started taking inventory and realized that I could relate to a lot of what he was saying. 

I also started to think about what it really means to abide in Christ in our hectic, over-stimulating, and demanding world. How do I do that?!? The first thought that popped into my head was the word “rest,” probably because this is something the Lord knows I personally struggle with. See, I’m a “to-doer” (Yes, I made that word up!), always walking around with my little notebook of carefully written to-do lists that I love to cross off and re-write. In my day-to-day life, I tend to focus on getting stuff done because accomplishments equal success, right? Ha!

Now, I’m not criticizing to-do lists, in and of themselves, because we all have things that DO need to get done each day, things that we are responsible for, and to-do lists can be helpful as reminders of what needs done. But, as I mentioned earlier, I’m an overachiever, so I tend to load myself up with all kinds of extra, probably not-really-necessary tasks because completing them makes me feel fulfilled. Oh boy, that sentence hits home!

I realized I get satisfaction from completing tasks–it makes me feel important, needed, and happy. But, unfortunately, that kind of satisfaction is fleeting, and it only lasts until the next to-do list is in front of me. The constant striving to finish my to-do lists is met with my constant need to start a new one. It’s a never-ending cycle, like running on a hamster wheel. And it keeps me BUSY!

I felt the Lord was telling me that for me to abide in Christ, I needed to rest! I needed to stop “to-doing” myself to death spiritually! When I wondered what I was missing out on by staying so busy with my to-do lists, I finally realized it’s not “what” I’m missing, it’s “who.” I’m missing out on the very presence of Jesus. It’s not that He isn’t there with me, but I’m not paying attention enough to recognize and appreciate His presence. I’m not experiencing Him. 

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures evermore. Psalm 16:11, ESV

 This is an important truth for all of us. We need to rest, spending time with Him and being refreshed by Him, experiencing the fullness of joy that only comes from Him. In Matthew 11, Jesus Himself assures us of this exact principle: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (verses 29-30, emphasis added). Wow, that sounds amazing… I want rest for my soul!!

We can’t abide in Christ if we are running ourselves ragged, trying to accomplish whatever we have piled up on our to-do lists. We’re missing out on the kind of Kingdom- living that He has for us, that He wants us to experience. All we need to do is simply take time to rest in Him, giving Him an opportunity to speak to us, comfort us, and restore our union with Him. Abiding in Christ is meant to be a sustained connection, not an occasional event. When life becomes overwhelming and we begin to feel disconnected from Him, we need to be intentional about finding time to rest and reconnect with Jesus so He can restore us spiritually, giving us life again. 

Our continual need for this rest and reconnection reminds me of my Christmas tree, glowing in the corner of my living room. It sits there, shining its light whether I notice it or not. But, when we are in the dark, struggling with life and all the demands that come with it, we can choose to sit down, wrap ourselves in a fuzzy blanket, and simply enjoy basking in the glow of His light shining on us, giving us peace and rest for our souls. May you take the time to notice Christ’s light shining upon you each day, especially during this Christmas season!!