For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness.

2 Samuel 22:29

I’m writing this devotion in the middle of winter on a dark and cold day.

It will be read in the middle of summer. Hanging on my wall is a needlework with embroidered flowers and the verse, “Sunshine and flowers bring light to the heart.” I’m reminded how our lives resemble the seasons. Today I might be feeling the darkness of winter filled with regrets and sins. But I know that in a few months I will be enjoying bright warm summer days.

Just as the seasons bring change and renewal, we, also, are transformed every time we confess our sins, believing that by God’s grace we are forgiven. We know that the Holy Spirit will comfort and guide us to be a light of faith for others.

Clare Hilgendorf
Appleton, WI

Thank you, Lord, for shining your light of love on me. Amen.

Reflect: Recall a time when the words and actions of a friend brightened your day.

Read: Psalm 27:1 and John 12:46