LifeDate Winter 2024 – Life Shines in Darkness
by Barbara Lane Geistfeld, D.V.M.
Jim and I recently spent ten days with our daughter and her family in upstate New York on one of our semi-annual mom-dad-grandpa-grandma visits. As you might expect, our granddaughters, Ella (7), and Hannah (4½), are, as the saying goes, “the light of our lives.” But there is another light in our lives that we cherish above all other lights—our Lord Jesus. This is the light that brings LIFE to all mankind.
Our theme for our 2024 regional conferences and for Life Sunday/Life Week 2025 is Life Shines in Darkness, based on John 1:4-5:
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Jesus is indeed the Light and the Life for the whole world.
As members of the Body of Christ, we are called, or perhaps, more accurately, commanded, to live by this light and to let our light shine in the darkness, thus bringing glory to our Father in heaven. We are to let our life, our actions, shine in the darkness as well.
“Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:15-16).
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Related to being a light and living a life in Christ.
“[God] appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments” (Psalm 78:5-7).
We who truly love our Lord endeavor to teach our children to love Him, trusting in God to keep His promise to us that He will bless His children to a thousand generations to those who fear and love Him. We often do not see the results of our teachings. We may not fully know how our life and our light—gifts from our Savior, shining in the dark world—have impacted those around us. But, sometimes, God richly blesses us by showing us the fruits of our labors done in His name.
I celebrated my 75th birthday in September, and Ella waited for our visit to give me her hand-crafted birthday card. It is one of the most meaningful, beautiful cards I have ever received—and I have received a lot of birthday cards. The outside is wonderful, and the drawings of Ella and me warmed my heart.
But the inside of the card caught me totally by surprise and blasted into my heart like a ray of sunshine.
Ella had asked her mom, “What does Grandma like best?” Erin’s answer? Jesus and birds! So, Ella decorated the inside of the card with the two things that her grandma loves best—Jesus and birds! Words cannot begin to express the incredible joy this brings to my heart. Our daughter is teaching our granddaughter about the love of Jesus in a natural and easy way.
My prayer for all of us in the Body of Christ is that in the days ahead, we may continue to teach our children, grandchildren, friends, and neighbors of all ages about the Jesus we know and love. May everyone who sees us see the light of Jesus shining in our lives. May they see His life shining in us as well.
I pray that those who see each of us will say, “Barb loves Jesus and birds.” “Jim loves Jesus and gardening.” “__________ loves Jesus and __________.” Just fill in the blanks and allow God to make your life a sharing and a shining of the Light and the Life of the world—our Lord Jesus.
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4).