Becoming What God Intended Devotional
Dr. David Eckman
Do you know anybody who suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder? Some people call it “winter blues”—they get irritable, moody, sleep more, eat more, and feel depressed. Psychologists have investigated the effect of diminished sunlight on people’s emotional health. The farther north you live, the darker the winters get. I know some people who need light therapy to get through these months. Sunlight produces vitamin D in our skin. Snowbirds often describe the feeling of healing when they first arrive in Florida or Arizona after Christmas and feel the sun on their skin.
People need "Sonlight" too. When the glory of Christ does not touch our faces by coming off the pages of the Bible, when we haven’t been listening to God’s voice, Satan plants depression and self-hatred. Paul writes, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. . . . Wake up, O sleeper . . . and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:8-10,14).
Here is good news that generates spiritual vitamin D (meaning Delight) in our lives: Through Christ, God thinks you are beautiful, fun to be with, and desirable to have in His everlasting family. Through Christ, your sins are forgiven, your prayers are all answered, your pains are temporary, and your joys are eternal.