Vigilance

Well, Christmas Day is over and family members are headed home. =(

There are many changes as life proceeds down its appointed schedule, but the mother hen in me loves to have her chicks, chicks-in-law, and grandchicks close by. I miss them much when they return to their appointed schedules, just as I’m sure my mother did and do most other mothers.

Part of our family was visiting in Florida and so we still have some Christmas to celebrate when they return. We will open gifts and make more Christmas food when they get back. I look forward to that.

Christmas Eve was quiet for us this year, and we went to church for a candlelight communion service. The music was beautiful, but the candle lighting was a different story—we couldn’t keep our candles burning. We had to light them a number of times and then work to keep the flame alive. Finally, after some concerted effort, our lights were burning brightly. Still, we found it necessary to attend to them closely.

I reflected on that experience, realizing that it was a picture of our lives in a dark world. Life constantly endeavors to extinguish our lights and cause us to return to the world of darkness. It takes effort to maintain our light even after that light has been passed to us. We need a constant alertness, awareness, and analysis of the intensity of our light. If we suspect our light is fading, we need to attend to it quickly. It reminds me of the bridesmaids in Matthew 25:

"The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps... At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'

'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut."

♫ This little light of mine
I’m gonna’ let it shine
Let it shine
Let it shine
Let it shine!