“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
Matthew 5:16
and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
This week I’ve been thinking about the upcoming holiday season. It is Christmas time for Christians, the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is this week, the African American Kwanzaa festival of lights is at the end of the month, the winter solstice traditions of pagan, Wiccan and Druid faiths will be celebrated on Dec 21st and December 8th was Bodhi day, the Buddhist holiday to remember the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama or Buddha.
I noticed there is a common ground that ties all these holidays together and that is light and goodness that is shared in the expression of faith of millions of believers.
Last month I had the opportunity to be interviewed by my friend Michael Clogs on his Faith Hope Trust Podcast and the conversation turned to faith. I would like to share my thoughts from that interview with you.
“Michael, I know we’ve discussed this before but I’d like to share my definition of faith again. Many times we use the words faith, hope and belief and we throw them around and use them like they are the exact same words but they’re three completely different words.
Hope is when we have a beautiful vision of something and a positive emotion to go along with it.
God gives us a vision of how life can be. But I can be shown a picture of something and if it doesn’t move me to feel something, or to do something, then it is just a pretty picture.
The next step is do you believe the promises of what life should be about or what life can be about, the purpose of life and why we’re here and where we’re going? If you do then look at it closely and go “I really like that, that touches my heart”. Then that’s HOPE.
If I’ve fallen in love with a vision of who God is and what He wants for me and what the blessings are that He has in store for me on the other end of this, then that’s BELIEF.
And I can still say I love that idea but if it doesn’t move me to action, then it’s not faith.
So the moment that I start to participate in that vision, once I start to participate and do the things I have been taught, then that’s FAITH.
I can hear that Jesus says you should love your neighbor and think that’s a great idea. But if I’m not actually capable or if I don’t actually do any actions to loving my neighbor then I’m not actually having faith.
The moment that I listen and I internalize that Jesus says that I should be nice to my neighbour, or my sister, or my parents, or my kids, or the principal at the school, or the lady I sit next to at church.
Once I start to then go “well what do I need to do to show them that I love them?” How tolerant, like Buddha says, how tolerant am I of them and their struggles? And when they get mad and frustrated, how tolerant am I? Am I kind and thoughtful to them? Am I thinking about what they are going through? Are they hurting at the moment? Do they need something? Is there some way that I can help them? That’s moving my faith into action.”
Faith is falling in love with an idea, a vision so much that it moves us into action. Do we trust that nspired wisdom enough that it moves our hearts and our hands into doing something that gets us closer to that vision?
So how does that relate to the holiday season?
When I look at the various faiths/religions/traditions around this holiday season, I see the commonality of two things: light and goodness. Each of these faiths focus on bringing light into the world through lights on trees, candles, yule fires. They also encourage us to remember not only our shared histories that tie us to our forefathers and ancient traditions, but they all focus on doing good and being kind to one another.
The real gifts of holiday seasons are not the gifts wrapped in paper but the gift of humanity and kindness, and remembering the teachings of Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Mohammed. Embracing those teachings to make us better people and move us into action to love and accept each other.
I hope you can find a way to embrace the love and kindness of the holiday season and share that love with all those around you. I hope that each time you see the holiday lights it can remind you that you can become a light in the world. A light that shines in the darkness that guides people home.
“Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do.”
Jesus talking to the Nephites, 3 Nephi 18:24