Greetings from the Alaska Region,
Tomorrow marks four years that my family and I have lived in Alaska and we all are really enjoying our time here. One of the things I find absolutely amazing here is the dramatic difference between summer and winter. This time of year is the darkest – the least amount of daylight in the northern hemisphere, and here in the Anchorage area that equates to about four hours of daylight. To some this actually causes a physical issue and I can see why. When you can’t see where you are going it is hard to go anywhere, it is easy to focus on how dark it is. The reverse side of this is we are actually gaining sunlight daily now, as much as 5-10 minutes a day. Living in this environment has forced me to have a tangible meaning to what God being the Light of the world really looks like. Psalm 119:105 states “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (NIV).”
We just celebrated Advent; a time of Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. A time of preparation for Christ. We spend many hours getting ready for Christmas, telling the story to children, watching the plays, really immersing in what this time of year means, and then it is over. The time after Christmas can be such a let down after the amazing build up it is. The tree is still up and the smells are still in the air but the day has come and gone. Is this actually a dark time for you?
God’s word is the light and the more time we spend in it the more Light we have in our lives. If I turn towards the Son I will not look so much at the darkness. As this season draws to a close we can continue to be immersed in His Light if we choose to be and let the true Light of Christmas continue to shine all year long.
Submitted by Alicia Mayer, Alaska Region President
