Light Therapy

Yesterday I wrote about seeing beyond the grey familiarity of our everyday world.

 

Today, I have managed to do exactly the opposite.

 

It didn't help that I was tired.  It didn't help that it was Monday.  And it certainly didn't help that the weather was grey and dull.

 

As the 'Summer' draws to a close and the nights draw in, it becomes increasingly difficult to see the sun or to remember what it feels like to sit out in the garden and enjoy a BBQ.  The warmth and the light of summer becomes a distant memory and it becomes increasingly difficult to see beyond the grey familiarity of our everyday world.

 

In recent years, the medical term SAD has been coined: Seasonal Affective Disorder.  It describes the "winter blues" from which many people suffer when they don't get enough sunlight.*

 

One 'treatment' for those suffering from this condition is "light therapy" in which a light box is used to stimulate the production of the 'feel-good' hormone serotonin. 

 

Sometimes when we are suffering from the "spiritual blues" and are struggling to see beyond the grey familiarity of our lives we need some 'light therapy" too.

 

The Bible describes God and His word as our light:

"The Lord is my light and my salvation."

[Psalm 27:1 NLT]

 

"O Lord, you are my lamp.

The Lord lights up my darkness."

[2 Samuel 22:29 NLT]

 

When we are surrounded by the gloom, we can trust God to light up our darkness.  If we immerse ourselves in His word and His truths, we will find His light brings the golden glow of hope into our grey lives.

 

 

* Perhaps this symptom could be redefined as 'British Affective Disorder'.