“You’re trying to make this about you and it’s not,” she told me about a piece I’d written.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, a little annoyed. 
“You made this all about you when it’s about Jesus. Not you…” she went on to explain I’d misinterpreted the passage and indeed placed myself in the story and made it about me.

A few months later she moved to another state and I never heard from her again but her words stuck with me years later. Her words came back to me recently as I prayed for a new word for this year. It’s not about me. It’s about Jesus. 

The Light of the World 

Praying for the Lord to use The Farm Wyfe blog as a place to give hope to others and point them to Christ, words kept popping in my mind. I started a short list, leaning toward something I thought would be a good theme for the year. But over the past few weeks, one word surfaced repeatedly in my personal and family devotions, in conversations, in sermons, on the radio, and even in our sign language class!

One afternoon, sitting in a tight circle in the living room of our sign language teacher’s home, the topic of light came up. We had no idea there were so many signs for light depending on the meaning and context. Talking about Christmas tree lights? There’s a sign for that. Talking about a short lamp? There’s a sign for that. What about an overhead light? There’s a sign for that. But what about Jesus, the Light of the world? There’s a different sign for that. ❤️

The conversation that afternoon must’ve jarred my subconscious where it stayed and continuously came to mind. With every reminder of Jesus as the Light of the world, this year’s word was a no-brainer.

2020 Word for the Year: Light

My word for this new year is Light. 

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12

Some of my favorite times are with my husband, riding in a tractor, waiting for the sunrise over the fields. Sitting there in the dark barely able to see my hand in front of my face without the glow of a light to brighten our path never fails to remind me morning is coming. The slightest pinprick of light permeates the darkness heightening our senses, making us aware of our surroundings. The light is something my husband, the farmer, depends on to grow our crops. Without light, there is no life.

To me, a sunrise is God’s daily gift, a beautiful picture to say, “I am here. I love you. I am the light of the world. Watch this.” It reminds me to trust Him, to know that whatever happens, good or bad, He’s right there with us. He’s sovereign. He’s in control even we feel like we’re spinning out of control. He’s perfect. And He loves us beyond comprehension. 

When we try to live a life without the light of the world, without Jesus, hopelessness surrounds us. But when we make Him our Savior, hope abounds.

We live in a culture that promotes artificial light, whether its flashlights or glows from iPhones or neon storefront signs, it’s only temporary light. Booming businesses blast hope from relationship advice to opportunities to create a happier you and droves of people demand more. The show up to buy whatever you’re selling because they crave hope. They desire the light. But it’s the wrong kind.

The right light, the hope-filled-answer-to-life kind of light, is only found in Jesus.

With Light as my word and personal theme for the year, I want to separate the artificial light from the true light. When conversations surface and I don’t know the truth or who to believe, I want to know without a doubt the true Light. I want to be so immersed in my Bible, so dependent on the Lord, the necessary discernment gives me wisdom to separate the truth from a lie. When opportunities arise to disagree or argue with other brothers and sisters in Christ, I want to be so focused on the Light that the little things don’t distract me. 

I’ll probably share more about this later in the month, but I wanted you to know my word for the year is Light. What’s yours?

If you’d like to read my previous words for the year, you can find them here and here.