LIGHT -- It’s My Christmas Word Time!

The celebration of our Lord’s birth wrapped up yesterday, and oh, what a sweet time it was! We had Christmas with Carl’s family last Sunday and celebrated with my Wuerch Family yesterday. Our East Texas crew joined the festivities via phone calls, UPS deliveries, and lots of texts. We may have been scattered, but we were all together in love and heart!

To me, Christmas means it’s time for my “word” message -- those personalized letters to each family member, paired with a small token of my love that highlights the theme.

Every year, I pray for a word that will encourage and bless each one, often drawing from the lessons God whispered to me over the past year.

This year, the word LIGHT kept flashing in my mind. It resonated deeply as I watched our world wrestle with so much darkness and fear. LIGHT feels more necessary than ever -- bright, hopeful, God-given LIGHT. My token gift to each one was a little lantern.

God chose us to be LIGHT-bearers and LIGHT-givers. And oh, what a gift that is -- the kind of light that doesn’t just brighten rooms but brings warmth to hearts and souls.

Jesus said, “YOU are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14). That means we’re already lit up and ready to shine like nobody’s business!

It doesn’t take grand gestures to brighten someone’s day. Sometimes it’s as simple as showing up with kindness, laughter, or a little joy -- the kind that can only come from knowing Jesus.

In my letter, I reminded everyone: “Think of yourself as a lantern. Wherever you go, you light up the room. And with Jesus as our source, we never have to worry about running out of batteries or our flame burning out. We’re plugged into the Ultimate Power Source -- Jesus, Who never goes out!”

I can’t help but think of that good ol’ Sunday School song: “This little light of mine… I’m gonna let it shine!” There’s something to it. We may never know how much darkness our light drives away, simply living with joy and faith, even in hard seasons.

Keeping that light blazing takes intention. Paul reminds us, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8). It’s like hanging out with Jesus -- the more we do, the brighter we shine.

So here’s my encouragement to you—SHINE, Baby, Shine!

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father Who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)