I'll admit it: yesterday I was LOW! The pain of the day before was gone, but my spirit was as dark as the misty gloom that enwrapped our part of the world. This morning I started out just as low, even though the sun shone brightly through our windows. I suddenly realized I heard no bird songs, either, which added to my depression. Then I remembered that in years past, even when very ill I had started most days sipping my morning coffee on the deck, sitting in the sun. And so I forced myself out of my chair and walked the few steps to the front door, where my folding chair seemed to be awaiting my return. I remembered that part of my ritual was listening to hymns, and so grabbed my phone and wireless speaker to accompany me. Before I could even think about it, my persistent frown had turned upside down, as I found myself stretching my arms to receive the warmth of the sun, and my ears began to hear the music of songbirds floating above the quiet piano music.
Of course my doctor has always recommended sitting in the sun daily for twenty minutes or so in order to soak up natural Vitamin D. This was a common suggestion during the recent pandemic. A British study conducted in 2020, at the height of Covid, concluded that bird songs can indeed improve moods. A 1984 another U.K. study even found that a view of trees from a hospital room actually speeds healing and helps patients require fewer pain meds! (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-listening-to-bird-song-can-transform-our-mental-health.html) I've experienced this for myself, because I REALLY dislike someone working in my my mouth (aka dental visits!). Whether planned or not, my dentist's office has views of beautiful trees from most every patient chair, and I know that looking out at those trees helps me relax during an unpleasant procedure.
But why should any of this be surprising? On the fourth day God created the two great lights in the sky, "to provide light on the earth." (Genesis 1:15 CSB) The sun God created is the source of all light and life: without it there would be no life! No trees, no birds, no humans! And in the End, we shall all see that the true Source of our sun is the Son Himself:
When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. (Revelation 1:12-16 NLT, emphasis mine)
"The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, 'The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches, and all. But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture." (Malachi 4:1-2 NLT)
Dear friend, whether the sun is shining on us today or not, let us pray together with the wonderful old hymn "Sun of My Soul,"
"1.Sun of my soul, Thou Savior dear, It is not night if Thou be near;
O may no earth-born cloud arise To hide Thee from Thy servant's eyes!
2. When the soft dews of kindly sleep My weary eyelids gently steep;
Be my last thought, how sweet to rest Forever on my Savior's breast!
3. Abide with me from morn till eve, For without Thee I cannot live;
Abide with me when night is nigh, For without Thee I dare not die.
4. Be near to bless me when I wake, Ere thru the world my way I take;
Abide with me till in Thy love I lose myself in heav'n above."
-- John Keble
