Light, Lent, and Love

As I type these words, snow and ice cover my yard and driveway. Frigid temps have lingered in Tennessee for the last week. However, beams of sunlight now sparkle across my frozen yard. Those sunbeams warm my soul.

If you read my January blog, you may recall my reference to the wise men who were guided by the star to discover the Light of the world. That Child born unto us grew to be the Prince of Peace who gave His own life so that we might live.

Isaiah tells us that the people in darkness would see a great light. That light of the epiphany leads us to the season of Lent.

Author Glenys Nellist welcomes us to this special season in her book ‘Twas the Season of Lent (published by Zonderkidz and illustrated by Elena Selivanova in 2024).*

“Lent is related to the word springtime. Look outside your window. Maybe it doesn’t look like spring yet. Perhaps the ground is covered with a white blanket of snow; the skies above might be gray and the trees may be bare. That’s because springtime is a waiting time. The bulbs planted deep in the dark soil will be waking up soon. The buds on the trees are quietly waiting to burst into bloom. We know that all the earth is getting ready to grow and change.”

Lent is also a time when many people choose to give up a controlling vice or commit to a positive virtue. For example, giving up chocolate for forty days might be a worthy sacrifice for some, while donating forty articles of clothing to Goodwill might provide a feeling of fulfillment for others.

How ever we choose to honor this season, let’s not just preach it. Let’s practice it.

First and foremost, let’s think about the true meaning of Light, Lent, and Love.

From her Day Seven Let Your Light Shine:

Nellist suggests that we let the Light of Jesus shine through our own lives. Based on scripture from Matthew, Nellist explains the importance of loving our enemies and the people we find hard to love. Jesus tells us to pray for them and be kind to them as well. He lights a flame in the darkness as an analogy:

“Look at this flame. Everyone can see it as it burns. It lights up everything around it. Love is like that. Love is like a light that burns brightly in the darkness. When you love others, people everywhere can see it. When your love for others is strong, it will bring light and hope and joy to everyone around you.”

From Day Twenty-nine Love for Everyone:

“The wonderful thing about Jesus was that he reached out in love to anyone and everyone . . . . [He] reached out to heal, hold, and bring hope to everyone, no matter who they were, how old they were, what they’d done, or where they came from.

What a wonderful world it would be if all the followers of Jesus would do that too.”

This year the first day of Lent (forty days before Easter, excluding Sundays) falls on Valentine’s Day, February 14. How appropriate for Light and Lent and Love to be connected!

In Adrianna Trigiani’s book The House of Love, a young girl named Mia selflessly helps her mother cook and clean and care for her large but loving family. Her love for her family shines through in all that she does. At the end of the story and because of her service to others, Mia finds a special valentine made just for her. Similarly, God offers us our own special valentine when He asks us to accept the love of His Son. That love can overpower all our needs and wants.

Let’s move forward through these sometimes dark and dreary days with hope and love in our hearts as we allow the Light to guide us into the season of Lent.

*Note: I will be giving away a copy of ‘Twas the Season of Lent to one lucky newsletter subscriber who enters a comment to this post on Facebook by midnight, February 3, 2024. A free downloadable Activity Pack for this book can be found at https://www.glenysnellist.com/.

“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”—John 3:16

“Father James made the sign of the cross, then rose from his knees; it was dark outside and had begun to snow. In his heart, however, there was radiant light.”—from A Miracle for St. Cecilia’s by Katherine Valentine (See what I did there? I’m recommending her books if you like Mitford-ish stories!)

“Self-denial means knowing only Christ, and no longer oneself.”—Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“God is the dance of the last snowflake before the return of the spring. He is the tulip rising up through the snow with all of the hope that it brings. God is the reason we celebrate love and all that it is. We love because he first loved us; He is ours, and we are his.”—from God Is Love by Amy Parker

“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.”—Harry Dixon Loes

Matthew 5:14-16; Micah 7:8; Matthew 6:21; Isaiah 58:6-7; Romans 12:9; Colossians 3:14