Natalie Ogbourne

In his book, For Everything There is a Season: A Sequence of Natural Events in the Grand Teton-Yellowstone Area, naturalist Frank C. Craighead compiles decades of observations of outdoor happenings into week-by-week entries. At least, they’re weekly entries between February 27 and December 3. The remainder of December warrants only one entry. And January 1 – February 26 gets only one short paragraph, mostly highlighting what’s behind and what’s ahead.

There’s not a lot going on.

His summary sentence is telling: “The shortest day of the year (December 21) is behind us with the severest weather still ahead, but the shortest, dark days are behind.“

It’s heartening to hear the darkest days are behind.

Light changes so many things. Perspective. Outlook. Spirits. Habits. Sleep. Movement.

These days are still cold, but light makes them easier to endure.

God grants us light in so many ways. There’s the sun that brightens the day. There’s His Son, the light of the world. And there’s His Word, a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

Daylight is getting longer, friends. Light, once again, is overtaking the darkness. In the end, it always will.