Joy in the Journey: Overcoming Darkness

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

-John 1:5

I love Christmas lights. Every year, I become convinced that just a few more would finally be enough. I complain, remind, and gently (ok, so I'm not always gentle) pressure my husband because something in me knows that Christmas lights change how everything feels. A dark house looks safer, warmer, cheerful, and more hopeful when it’s lit. We don’t add light because darkness is winning, we add it because light belongs there. We string it along rooftops, doorways, and trees not because it fixes the night, but because it reminds us that darkness is not the final word. In the same way, the light we carry into our classrooms, systems, and relationships doesn’t erase what’s broken, but it does change the way people move through it. Jesus says in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world,” and I think that’s exactly what He means.

When John refers to Jesus as the light shining in the darkness, it is interesting that John does not say the darkness disappears; He says it is not victorious. The Light shines anyway.

The Light entered systems that are tired, imperfect, and strained. It continues to show up in small, often unseen ways through us: a calm response instead of frustration, a moment of patience, a word of kindness offered when energy is low. These acts may feel insignificant in a broken or weary system, but Jesus insists they matter to the world.

On this final day before break, your joy may not look like a bright light. It may look like patience and self-control. Like choosing care over rushing to the next thing. Like noticing the student who feels invisible, or offering grace to yourself when the work remains unfinished. These moments do not fix everything that is wrong in your classroom and schools, but they illuminate something. As you close your classroom door today, remember this: every act of kindness you offered, especially when it was hard, was light. And light, even when small, is never wasted.

Sunday is the winter solstice, the darkest stretch of the year, but it is also when daylight begins, almost imperceptibly at first, to return. The change is small and easy to miss. But it is real. And it is promised. The darkness does not disappear all at once, but it does not win. Not in classrooms, and not in tired hearts. Remember that the light you carried this semester was never dependent on perfect conditions. It showed up in hope when patience was low, in peace when frustration was high, and in joy when hearts felt heavy and dark.

The Christmas story unfolds the same way. Light enters the world not with spectacle, but with promise. And from that moment on, the days begin to grow longer. Tonight, rest in the truth that even now, the light is increasing. What you offered to your students, classrooms, and relationships mattered. And the darkness does not overcome it.

Overcoming Darkness

Where has darkness felt heavy for you this semester?

Where might God be inviting you to notice the light that has not been overcome?

Where have I underestimated the power of my joy as light to others, assuming it was too small to matter in a space that felt too dark?

Prayer

Light of the world, thank You for meeting us in weary places. When our days feel long and dark without light, help us trust that even small acts of kindness shine with Your joy. As we step into rest, remind us that the light we carried into our classrooms this semester still matters. May Your light continue to break through in us, through us, and beyond what we can see. Amen.