 Many people do not realize that being in sunlight is vitally important to being physically healthy. This is because Vitamin D “is made from cholesterol in your skin when it’s exposed to the sun. That’s why getting enough sunlight is very important for maintaining optimal vitamin D levels.”[i] Despite this, it is reported that “more than 40% of American adults have a vitamin D deficiency.”[ii] This is partly due to poor diet but is also partly related to not getting enough sunlight. And not getting enough sunlight can have significant negative effects on the body’s overall health.
For example, low levels of Vitamin D reduce the amount of serotonin produced in the brain which can lead to feelings of depression and can lead to “mitochondrial dysfunction, which leads to a decrease in [energy] production.”[iii] Not getting enough sunlight can lead to weight gain as sunshine “supplies the important nutrient nitric oxide, which keeps your metabolism running smoothly and discourages binge eating.” Adults who do not get enough sunlight can experience muscle and bone aches because “nutrients like calcium and collagen” are not functioning properly due to a lack of Vitamin D. They can suffer from insomnia due to low levels of Vitamin D, and even become more susceptible to illness. “When sunlight hits your eyes it activates your autonomic nervous system, which signals the release of immune cells. Having immune cells readily available to fight off viral and bacterial infections is what allows us to encounter pathogens without getting sick.”[iv] Yet, most people enjoy the physical benefits of sunlight without realizing they are even benefiting from the sun. They do not see the effects sunlight is having on and inside their bodies at the cellular level and so many do not realize how important sunlight is to them. If they are healthy, they think it must be because they are eating right and exercising. If they are not healthy, they need to improve their diet and exercise. In other words, because we cannot see or feel the positive impact sunlight has on our bodies, we tend to undervalue and underappreciate sunlight and, thus, tend to neglect the importance of spending time in it. The same can be said about God’s Word. Christians will often go through life not reading their Bibles daily and life will be hard. Life is riddled with trials and tribulations. Around every corner is a new obstacle. Life does not go as planned. Dreams are often unfulfilled. And so, they will get into God’s Word. They will read and memorize scripture. Engage in regular Bible study, and life is still hard. It is riddled with trials and tribulations. Around every corner is a new obstacle. Life does not go as planned. Dreams are often unfulfilled. Then what’s the point? Why soak up copious amounts of God’s Word when we don’t see or feel the positive effects of being in the light of God’s Word? But like sunlight, spending lots of time in the light of God’s Word, immersing ourselves in God’s Word, can have enormous positive effects at the spiritual level, which also cannot be easily seen just as we cannot easily see the positive effects of sunlight at the cellular level--but it is happening. Thus, here are seven reasons we should bask in the light of God’s Word at every given opportunity.
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Today, there are approximately 380,000 churches in the United States with an average church size of about 65 members. And in a nation like the United States, where success is largely defined by size, money, and influence, this can often be discouraging to small congregations. They can wrestle with feelings of inadequacies, wondering to themselves, ‘What is wrong with us?’ ‘Is something wrong with us?’ ‘Are we not friendly?’ ‘Is God not pleased with us?’ The same can be said of pastors who shepherd small churches. They look around at the landscape of churches and everywhere they see large, bustling, and bursting churches filled with people who are loving God, growing in their faith, and making an impact on the world for the glory of God, and they feel small. They wonder to themselves, ‘What am I doing wrong?’ ‘What am I missing?’ ‘Should I be doing something else?’ ‘Did God not really call me into pastoral ministry?’ |
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