And this is what I shall tell my heart and so recover hope; the favors of Yahweh are not all passed. His kindnesses are not exhausted. Every morning they are renewed. Great is His faithfulness.”

—Lamentations 3:21-23

In September, 2024, a catastrophic cyclone hit the Southeastern United States, leaving Florida, Georgia, SC, NC and TN in states of emergency. Hurricane Helene left thousands without power, water, escape. A friend of mine’s parents became stranded in Montreat, NC when their road completely washed away. My friend and her husband took a canoe and Hallelujah! rescued them. A month later, her father suddenly passed away. How to accept this painful outcome after the canoe miracle?

For years, her parents talked about lighting a monumental fir tree in their back yard for Christmas. Its size rivals the Rockefeller Center tree in New York City. This always seemed impossible to accomplish and too expensive to hire it out. For the fifty years of their marriage, it floated but remained a pipe dream. My friend decided to enact “Operation Turn the Lights On” and enlisted family, friends and neighbors to secretly decorate that majestic tree with a thousand lights. Then on her mother’s birthday, she invited her mom to come outside and then flipped the switch. The hope was beyond electric.

In your life, think about people who have metaphorically “turned the lights on” for you. After giving the funeral for a child, I arrived home to “France” come to Nashville. My friend Nicole knew that hope reserves were low and decided a slice of France might just light me up. Her creative and thoughtful act is one I’ll never forget. I still dream about that epic French cheese board, chilled rose, enough dark chocolate to cure every blue. To top it off, Nicole made a homemade French apple tarte. She could not have said “I love you” any better, a light came on again.

An Ultimate Hope is the promise from God that when an earthly existence comes to its end, a new adventure awaits. There is no such thing as The End for us. We also have access to a daily hope that sustains us while still here on earth. It manifests in such creative ways like a magical tree shimmering for a dad’s memory, a French smorgasbord, a song that plays on divine timing, just a simple word of encouragement that becomes a healing balm. All these dial up some inner glow.

For a young Robert Louis Stevenson, growing up at the turn of the 19^th century in Edinburgh, Scotland, electricity was still an unbelievable novelty. Street lamps were illumined each night by “lamplighters.” They would climb ladders and pass a flame to the gas lamps. Stevenson’s mom called her son to get ready for Christmas Eve. This future author of Treasure Island was staring awestruck out his window. He responded, “I am watching a man punch holes in the darkness.”

We are God’s lamplighters on earth, punching holes in the darkness for one another, so there is always hope resurging. Remember the prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness—on them light has dawned.”

One of my very favorite stories in the Bible is about the woman who broke the alabaster jar of expensive perfumed oil and then lavished it over Jesus’s body. She imparted a warm hope strengthening him for his impending mission. The woman reminded Jesus that he was dearly loved. She turned up his divine glow.

Lamp-lighting is an expression of love. Every time we give or receive light, we prove that hope is real and attainable.

See if you can punch some holes in the darkness this week for someone, many!

****Much gratitude to my friend Jamee for gifting me this song!!!***