The medical term for it is seasonal affective disorder. I call it a plain ole’ funk and it happens to me every year about this time. When colder weather hits and the dark of the day lasts longer and longer, I start to drag emotionally, physically, and often spiritually. And I know I’m not alone. Doctors estimate that as many as twenty percent of us start feeling sad when the leaves begin to fall.
This year, when I started to get those feelings of melancholy, I decided to be pro-active. I consulted my family doctor—Google—about the best way to fight the fall funk. My prescription? Light!
The simplest, most effective treatment for a cold weather funk is more light. Sit by a window. Hit the tanning bed. Or buy a fancy schmancy light therapy gadget. I’ve simply opted to bundle up my family and go for daily walks. And you know what? It’s working. Those blues don’t stand a chance against the joy of a little sunlight.
There’s an important parallel to be found here. I’ve been doing a lot of reading about light in the Bible and I’ve found some amazing Truths.
God is light!
“God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Ps. 27:1).
God’s light can permeate our darkness.
“For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness” (Ps. 18:28).
“Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you” (Ps. 139:12).
A day is coming when light will defeat darkness.
“And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22:5).
In Genesis 1:3, we find God speaking light into existence. Psalm 104:2 tells us that He wraps Himself in light like a garment. In John 1:8, Jesus is called the Light and the True Light. In John 8:12, Jesus himself tells us that He is the light of the world.
That’s a lot of light! And it has the power to pull us out of our funks the same way basking in the sun can.
With that in mind, I have to ask, where is your life in a funk? Is it your marriage? Your relationship with your kids? Your job? Your finances? Your prayer life? Don’t let the blues take over. Don’t assume that you have to stay in your rut. Take it toward the light! Expose that part of your life that makes you feel sad, lonely, depressed, or “funky” to Jesus.
Here are some questions to get you started:
1. What parts of your life make you feel sad, tired, or bummed?
2. How often do you pray specifically about those areas?
3. What’s one step you can take today to drag that area of your life into the light by exposing it to God’s Truth more often?
Don’t’ settle for funky. Make an effort to present the dark corners of your life to the True Light, in whom there is no darkness at all.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them a light has shined” (Isa. 9:2).
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