Share the Light of Christ With This Christmas Tradition

In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus gave his famous Sermon on the Mount.

In verses 14-16 of that chapter Christ referred to his people as "the light of the world" and encouraged them to let their light "shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

There are some beautiful metaphors in these verses, but what do they mean to us?

To me, this means that the light of Christ lives in me and that when I choose to serve my fellow men they are able to see that light and it brings glory to my Heavenly Father, the source of all that is good.

I've always loved these verses, and because of that I got especially excited when I learned about an initiative to Light the World this Christmas season.

We all know that Christmas lights are symbolic of Christ's light during the Christmas season, but the Light the World initiative involves more than just putting up some lights.

It involves actively choosing to serve those around us each day in December so that the light of Christ can shine more brightly within us.

David A. Bednar said, "The whole purpose of this initiative is to celebrate and share the Light of Christ. What we hope people will do is not simply think about the Savior during this Christmas season, or even just learn more about Him. What we hope is that they will come to know Him by doing what He did.”

I don't know about you, but I'm really excited about this idea! Not only that, but I think this will become a tradition in our family rather than just a one year initiative.

There are always countless ways to serve those around us, but it's easy to get caught up in our own lives and lose sight of ways that we can help others.

Fortunately, the Light the World initiative has provided some great scaffolding to maintain focus and come up with simple ways to share the light of Christ.

There is a free downloadable advent calendar that gives you ideas of what to do each day in December starting with the first all the way through Christmas (I'll give descriptions of what to do each day below as well).

The event kicks off on December 1st with a worldwide day of service that I'm excited to participate in.

Don't get intimidated! You don't have to do something huge! Remember that what seems like the tiniest act of service to you can mean the world to someone else.

Here is a quick overview of what each day of the Light the World initiative entails (with a link to a quick video and simple suggestions of how to accomplish each day's activity).

Again, I love this, because it shows us that in small ways we can accomplish the same types of miracles that Christ performed. We can "help others see" the good in themselves, or "heal the sick" by donating blood, preparing a nutritious meal, or just simply saying a prayer.

There are so many ways that we can follow the example of Christ in our daily lives if we just keep our eyes open for them.

• December 1-Jesus lifted others' burdens and so can you.
• December 2-Jesus honored his parents and so can you.
• December 3-Jesus helped others see and so can you.
• December 4-Jesus worshiped His Father and so can you.
• December 5-Jesus healed the sick and so can you.
• December 6-Jesus read the scriptures and so can you.
• December 7-Jesus fed the hungry and so can you.
• December 8-Jesus prayed for others and so can you.
• December 9-Jesus visited the lonely and so can you.
• December 10-Jesus helped people walk and so can you.
• December 11-Jesus ministered to children and so can you.
• December 12-Jesus taught others and so can you.
• December 13-Jesus showed humility and so can you.
• December 14-Jesus taught us to clothe the naked and so can you.
• December 15-Jesus worshiped through song and so can you.
• December 16-Jesus showed compassion and so can you.
• December 17-Jesus cared for his mother and so can you.
• December 18-Jesus honored the Sabbath and so can you.
• December 19-Jesus calmed the storm and so can you.
• December 20-Jesus saw potential in others and so can you.
• December 21-Jesus forgave others and so can you.
• December 22-Jesus showed gratitude and so can you.
• December 23-Jesus was a peace maker and you can be one too.
• December 24-Jesus cared for his loved ones and so can you.
• December 25-Jesus' disciples followed Him and so can we.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like the world is a really dark place. I know that there is a lot of good in the world, but sometimes the media and even comments and memes on social media can make it feel like the whole world is filled with darkness and hate.

I was feeling kind of down about this recently, and then I had the very distinct impression that God has a purpose in all things and that this period of relative darkness can be used for God's purposes as well.

I know that God doesn't want his children to be filled with hate, anger, and fear towards each other. He wants us to share love, joy, and peace with all of our brothers and sisters here on earth.

When we choose to be instruments in the Lord's hands and light the world with the light of Christ, we can bring hope to those that are seeking a light in the darkness.

Share Christ's love with those around you. Bring them hope. Remember that the scriptures say you were meant to be the light of the world. Believe that in this dark world, you truly are like a bright city on a hill that cannot be hid.

Light the world!