Day 97 Northern Lights

Heather Kooiman is a nurse who has been working for six summers on the Attawapiskat Fires Nation Reserve in Canada. She says she has learned that she is not only a bearer of Christ’s light there — she is also a recipient. 

"One night, while working at a kids camp in Mishkeegogamang, a small group of staff spent the evening with a family in the community. I’ve spent six summers on this reserve, and I know many of the children and their families. The people are so beautiful, but they have been so hurt by Christians who have told them that they can’t be both Native and Christian, so they chose to be Native. 

"As we sat laughing with our friends, one of the older children told us that we had to go outside because the northern lights were out. I had always wanted to see the northern lights and hurried outside with all the children. 

"We all stared at the sky in awe as the lights moved above us until the whole sky was dancing. I was giving a piggy-back ride to a 7-year-old boy and as he stared at the sky he said, “God created all this, and it’s awesome because God loves us.” Then his 5-year-old sister raised her hands to the sky and repeated, “Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me so much.”

"I am learning to change my outlook. I am learning that it is not only about me sharing my light, but recognizing the light in others. I am learning that, instead of getting lost in issues seen only at a glance, I am called to see people as Jesus created them — beautiful. I am learning that it’s in those moments that light can be seen and the darkness is overcome."

God, give us the ability to recognize the light when things are difficult. Please keep shining the light in places where we see none and help us to see it, especially those we think are unlikely to have it, and to learn from them. Amen.