Well, it’s that time of year again. The time when the shopping malls and department stores (and the roads, for that matter) are crowded with stressed out shoppers, running from store to store, wanting nothing more than to stumble upon that perfect gift (is there such a thing?) so they can just go home and relax. Yup, it’s Christmas time again, the season that ’tis supposed to be jolly, though merriment is very seldom found.
But even for those that remain at home as much as possible, like myself, the fall and winter seasons can be gloomy and depressing. Statistics even show that suicide rates skyrocket this time of year. This could be due to any number of factors, but the most predominant one has been found to be Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD.
Here’s a little something I found online. “Seasonal depression, often called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), is a depression that occurs each year at the same time, usually starting in fall or winter and ending in spring or early summer. People who suffer from SAD have many of the common signs of depression: Sadness, anxiety, irritability, loss of interest in their usual activities, withdrawal from social activities, and inability to concentrate. They often have symptoms such as extreme fatigue and lack of energy, increased need for sleep, craving for carbohydrates, and increased appetite and weight gain” (taken from www.clevelandclinic.org).
It is thought that this disorder might be due to the decreased sunlight during these months, both because of shorter days, and also because many days are overcast, making our main source of light a gloomy gray. This is a psychological effect that I can say I have felt myself. Unless it’s snowing outside, which always puts a joy in my heart and a pep in my step, gray days make me lazy and gloomy.
There are a few treatments used for this, but the most common one is called “light therapy.” This simply entails having a person sit under a bright, white light while they read or eat or something. It has been found that this significantly improves a person’s mood. For example, yesterday (Nov. 28th) was a pretty dreary day, and though I started work at 7, I wasn’t really awake until about 9:30, and I wasn’t really all that chipper. But today was nice and sunny, and I got to sleep in. The combination of those (with a little Christmas music) has had me in a good mood today. That is, until I got my grades back from a recent test.
I believe there’s a spiritual lesson in all this. I believe that we’re living in a dark world, and around the holidays it gets even darker, as Satan does his best to get people to forget Who we owe this holiday to in the first place. And it seems he’s doing a pretty good job too, what with all the recent fuss about “Merry Christmas” not being politically correct. The more people try to get Jesus out of Christmas, and the more people exalt Santa Claus to the rank of “official holiday icon” the darker this world becomes spiritually. And the darker this world gets, the more depressed it becomes, as thoughts of suicide come rushing in like a flood.
The only hope for our world right now is some spiritual Light therapy. Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12). His glory is the only answer for a lost and dying world. The light of Jesus is the only therapy for our hurting souls. His light is always shining around us. All of creation declares His glory.
Unfortunately, the clouds of sin in most people’s lives is enough to diffuse and sometimes even block out His light from their lives. That’s why we have been chosen to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). We have to let our lights shine in this world (vs 16). We act as a lens that chases away the clouds and focuses the Light on those around us. Your friends, your peers, everyone around you needs to see the Light, and they can’t see it on their own. They need us to show it to them. Jesus is the light, the Prince of peace, and He wants to shine His way through you out into this world.
So as that verse says, we let our light shine by doing good works. This Christmas season, how about letting your light shine before men? First of all, make sure the Light is shining brightly inside of you by spending time with God every morning, so that there’s enough to share with others. Then keep your eyes open for any way you can serve those around you. Smile all day long, tell people “Merry Christmas,” give somebody some food to eat, see what you can do to help relieve a friend’s stressful workload, be ready to sacrifice yourself for the happiness of others. In every situation, be sensitive to the Spirit, let God lead you, and I believe we will see a very merry Christmas this year.
God bless us, every one!
I must admit this holiday season seemed even more hectic, but it could have been just me. Anyway, Good job! I especially like your ending; that statement always hits home for me.