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Ahh, Christmas time. A time full of joy and reindeer, Christmas trees and shiny wrapping paper.

Everywhere you look are Santas, nativity scenes, elves, and snowmen. But most noticeable of all are the bright, flashing Christmas lights decorating every square inch of homes and towns during the holiday season.

Usually one of the first signs of Christmas’ arrival, festive lights are typically the first to go up alongside the Christmas tree. Christmas lights are everywhere and scream “It’s Christmas!” the loudest with each flicker of a tiny light bulb.

Christmas lights can be placed ad nauseum to your heart’s content and are made for almost every surface and environment. Inside lights carefully placed on the fireplace mantle, draped across windows, intertwined in staircases, wrapped around the tree, or outside lining your roof, door frame, and trees.

Yup, You’re a CHRISTmas Light!

While Christmas lights can be found in many areas during the holidays, they all serve the same purpose: to bring the feeling and look of Christmas to those who behold their colorful bliss. No matter the color, look, shape of the bulb, or length of the strand, all Christmas lights bring the same joy of Christmas vibes.

This makes me think of the passage in 1 Corinthians 12 that references the body of Christ as different body parts all working as one body in Christ, that each member serves in an individual capacity but works to bring one purpose together.

In the same way, we as believers are Christmas lights, but for CHRISTmas.

No matter how we look or where we’re placed in life, each of us is a Christmas light functioning to bring Christ’s beauty and message to the world around us.

Christmas lights come in all different colors and sizes. They get placed all around, but they all serve the same purpose of bringing the Christmas vibe.

Just like some lights are made for indoor or outdoor usage, God has also placed us in locations all around. The people of the body of Christ are all different. They all look different, have colors and giftings, and “twinkle” in their own way.

Decor in the Decorator’s Hands

Most importantly, they all have a God-given location to bring the color of Christ and shine for Him. Some Christmas lights are placed outside in harsh weather. An outdoor light that’s covered in snow and facing the cold doesn’t look inside at the lights all cozy above the fireplace and wonder why it was made to tough it along with Frosty in the bitter winter winds.

Similarly, God has set apart and manufactured some of His lights as harsh weather tolerant, and they are called to serve in the outdoor conditions of life with difficult circumstances to weather. We can’t look around at other believers and question why God placed them in a seemingly better life and location than us.

We may be confused why we have to face certain conditions and circumstances in life, when it appears a fellow brother or sister of ours is living pleasantly and comfortably. Only God knows why we’re placed where we are, and like Christmas lights, we were built specifically for the exact location God had in mind for us.

Built For This

We can tolerate the harder conditions and situations in life because He’s the one who establishes and upholds us, and He never lets more come on us that we can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Just like we put Christmas lights where we want them because we think that’s where they look and serve best, so God also arranges each one of us – each of His lights in the world – just as He wanted, where He wants us (1 Corinthians 12:18).

We are all called to serve in different locations, but each of us fulfills the same purpose – showing Christ to the world and bringing others to God.

And while humans may prefer a certain kind of Christmas light, God doesn’t favor one of His shining lights over another (Romans 2:11). He loves each of us completely and perfectly.

Takeaway

If you’re struggling today to shine where you are, to see the value and beauty you bring to the world around you, remember that YOU are carefully made and designed by God to be His light!

Want to read more? Click here for Part 2 of Christmas Lights of Christ!

Psst..Don’t forget to download your FREE desktop wallpaper to remind yourself this holiday season of Christ’s light in you!