Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;
In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.
I know a few people who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or S.A.D. They’ve told me that one of the treatments for this problem is a specialized ultraviolet lamp known as a SAD lamp. They spend the dark hours of winter basking under their artificial sunlight. I’ve heard it helps.
Like many who live in northern climates, I too wrestle on occasion with bouts of seasonal depression. About twice a year, I find my soul diving into the depths of an inner sea, that dark misty realm lacking in definition, motivation or direction. I swim through this soul time for a few weeks before growing restless and weary of these dark waters. What help can be found for people facing seasonal depression? What simple rhythms of life offer gifts of hope and encouragement to our souls as we encounter various soul times?
The natural order governed by seasonal cycles centers upon the spinning of our planet around the sun. In the same manner, our inner lives are affected by seasons of the soul, cycles orbiting our lives around sources of illumination well beyond our horizons.
The stories that follow step along inner tracks, in and out of days and nights, through seasons across the various times of the soul. As we seek those sources of radiance, in turning and returning, we come again and again into God’s gift of renewal and springtime.
No comments:
Post a Comment