Optimist Roundtable
By Martha Sykes
There is a town by the name of Longyearbyen that is the northernmost city in the world. Situated between mainland Norway and the North Pole, it is a small coal-mining town. The unique thing about this town is that the sun sets in October and does not rise again until March of the next year. And then the town has a great celebration!
I can’t even imagine not seeing the sun for months! It seems hard enough for us to deal with the darkness that comes at this time of year for us at 5:00. It just seems so dark but I guess we should feel lucky that at least we have some daylight.
There is definitely something about light in our lives, and mostly because it brightens our days. Lately, it seems like we need a lot more light to not only brighten our own space, but to make our world a little brighter.
That’s what’s nice about this time of year because as soon as we decorate and turn on our Christmas lights or light a few candles, the darkness seems to fade a little and we feel better.
Most people love to drive around and see Christmas lights as they bring smiles to children’s faces, and people gaze with wonder at the many decorations. Nothing like a decorated yard to brighten the evening sky, and we are fortunate to have a lot of places where we can drive and enjoy the magic of Christmas. In our own little hometown, we have the Magic in the Air event to help us celebrate the season. Most of us probably agree that we sure are drawn to the light.
So, when the first Christmas came, that’s when the light of the world, Jesus, came to earth. There are many prophets that proclaimed that a Savior was going to be born and He was going to be the Prince of Peace, our King, and Wonderful Counselor.
When we choose to have a relationship with Jesus, and with the God, who made us, then He can light a path for us to follow. In John 8:12, Jesus spoke and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness , but will have the light of life”.
May we let Jesus light up our world this Christmas and let us enjoy the sun when it shines!!
