Sunshine

“You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light” (Psalm 18:28).

I have been waiting for this for months – that moment when I get to walk outside with short sleeves and not freeze. Today is that day, and I am thankful.

Something about the sunshine changes my spirit. I start to breathe again and relax. A refreshment pours over me and I live again.

Winter is always so challenging. The cold makes me want to stay inside and hibernate…for months. The thought of going outside makes me think surely we can wait a few more days to go to the commissary. I even get creative coming up with meals just to avoid it. I don’t meet my neighbors; I don’t get out and exercise as much. I struggle with wanting to do much of anything because I get tired of freezing.

You may think its silly, I know. I struggle with this regardless of where we live – with the exception of that two years I spent in Hawaii. Now that place has my kind of climate!

Today, though, I get to live again. We get to ride bikes, run, play at the park and drive with our windows down. Even my sweet son was thrilled today to show off his little white legs again. He went running around the yard, jumping up and down because he got to put on his shorts. I know the feeling.

Sitting on my front porch in the sunshine today, I was thinking about the joys and freedom this weather brings me, and had the thought that my spiritual walk is much like my physical one. Spiritually, I have seasons as well. I experience times when I don’t really want to interact or do anything. Hibernating from the world seems like a grand idea. Truth be told, we can have some serious winters of life, the hard storms and freezing temperatures that we dread.

As Christians I really believe there is always sunshine – some people write it as “sonshine.” We go through some cold winters, challenging times that can cause us to want to withdraw from the world. Much like my experience today, though, whether our world feels cold or hot we can sit and bask in the sunshine. We can sit at the feet of our Savior and feel the warmth and comfort any where, any time. Those winter times of life make it more difficult, but that spiritual vitamin D can sure change things around. It may not change the temperature, but it can change our spirit. Changing our spirit then changes our actions. The change in our actions (and attitude) can change our world.

We are tempted at times to pull back whether to protect ourselves or simply because we are weary. The challenge is to continue to seek and serve a Savior, to bask in the sunlight and let Him refresh us on the inside so that we can affect the world around us. If we hibernate and pull back, we will miss wonderful occasions of blessing for us and amazing opportunities to bless others. My challenge is to step into the sunlight every day, doing and being what He has called me to be in the place He has planted me. Have you done that lately? Have you enjoyed the sunshine?