As I reflected back upon the past year and looked forward to 2023, I thought about what words would inspire me in the future. Hope has been a theme for me for the past two years and while we were going through a worldwide pandemic, it seemed very appropriate and needed in my life. This year, looking ahead at 2023, my husband and I have been talking a lot about what we want for our year, our health, and our relationships. We want to feel good and fit and be able to move well and carry whatever we need to carry. We want to move and stretch and grow our physical bodies. We have also talked about how focusing on our own well-being has a ripple effect into our other relationships and can be a positive influence in our lives.
My daughter and I both chose the word “Light” for this year as a word to inspire us! Light is the opposite of darkness and can be a guide, leading along a path or into a room. Sunlight gives us warmth and brings the flowers, grass, and trees to life in the spring and summer. We also talked about how it is good to feel “light” and to put down our burdens and lighten our load by trusting in God.
I want to be a positive influence to those around me and to be a light-bearer. I can’t do this out of my own power at all, but with the presence of God and the Holy Spirit in my life, I can share their light with those around me. My light is only a small reflection of the glory and beautiful light and comes from God. God’s light can illuminate my circumstances from His perspective and bring clarity to situations where I am uncertain or confused. The joy of the Lord is my strength and sharing joy, hope, and love can bring light to a dark world. When we share the light of God, darkness disappears and people can start to imagine that there is a reason to hope again.
The first thing that God ever spoke in the Bible was light when he declared in Genesis 1:3, “Let there be light”. Genesis also states that “God saw that the light was good and he separated the light from the darkness”, creating day and night. John 1 also describes who Jesus was with God in the beginning of the world and that nothing was made without Him. John 1:4-5 says, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Jesus is the light of all people! He offers us light and life that lasts eternally.
I am hoping to find more light in my life in the coming year and I will be looking for it and sharing it with others along the way!
