Today’s verse: Malachi 4:2 (Msg)
“But for you, sunrise! The sun of righteousness will dawn on those who honor my name, healing radiating from its wings. You will be bursting with energy, like colts frisky and frolicking.”
I love the sun! I love the warmth that is shares with me, I love the light that it brings, I love the way I feel when it is shining down on me. When the sun is absent (as in nighttime or cloudy days) I truly, truly miss it. I find that I need to close my eyes and center my thoughts on the sun and I feel a special peace that I am searching for.
This last winter was hard for me. I missed the sun and its warmth. There were a lot of long dark days with cloudy, snow filled skies. It really had an adverse effect on my emotions and my daily functioning. I am not sure what it was about this winter that made it so much more challenging. Were there really more dark skies, or was it just my perception? I will admit there were some amazing days where the sun shined full and bright and reflected off of the freshly fallen snow, magnifying its beauty and highlighting the smooth soft surface of the snow. My memory is that these days were few or short.
The sun is a mixed blessing isn’t it. We need to make sure the we are protected from it’s bright and warming rays, covering ourselves in spf 100 sunscreen and shielding our eyes with UV filtering sunglasses, covering our heads in wide brimmed hats. Keeping that in mind we also require it as main natural source of vitamin D, which boosts our immune system and helps our metabolism just to list a few benefits. I personally can say that sunlight reduces my stress and anxiety. I see my cat, daily searching out the widest rays of sun shining through our windows to lay and relax in. She innately knows the benefits it shares with us.
There are times when the sun can be too much. I stay out of it when the temperatures run high. I seek the cover of shade or the cooling blast of air-conditioning. It’s bright glare can be hard to manage when driving, biking or even walking. Taking all of this in consideration, I still love the sun, heat and glare and all. The benefits far outweigh the negatives. I could not live in areas where the sun’s rays are limited to a few months a year.
There is a huge benefit to spending time in nature. Breathing in fresh air, moving more in uplifting surroundings, and relishing the peace and tranquility it provides. Over the next few weeks, Henrieta and I are going to be diving into this topic more.
For today, I pray that you are someplace where the sun that God created for us is shining and you are able to bask in it’s beauty and warmth.
Peace,