Colossians 1:13-14
13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
We weren’t meant to live in the dark. In Barrow, Alaska there is a period of 67 days of darkness. Every day comes and goes without the sun. Residents, often don’t know if it’s morning or evening or in between. They are stuck in a perpetual cycle of darkness. So it’s no wonder that many of them suffer from what’s called Seasonal Affective Disorder. Symptoms include lethargy, an increased desire for sleep, carb cravings, feelings of melancholy, fuzzy thinking and loss of libido or sociability, according to Suzanne Womack Strisik, an assistant psychology professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
During the winter months when the sun is nowhere to be found, many Alaskans flee the state. Some stay because they enjoy the winter months and others stay while exposing themselves to bright-light therapy.
There’s something about the way we’re wired that makes us yearn and crave and need the light. Surely, we could explain it through science. And that would be fun. But that would simply explain the nature of our wiring. What if we knew the why behind our wiring? I think we do.
God has rescued us from the dungeon, the domain of darkness and has brought us into the marvelously lit kingdom of Jesus. This is where we were always meant to be. His kingdom is our true home. To be under Jesus’ reign and rule is what we all need. He leads us beside still waters, he makes us lie down in green pastures, and he even walks with us in the valley of the shadow of death. Indeed, he has walked with us through the valley of the shadow of death and he has delivered us through it, onto the other side, and into His kingdom.
In Him? Redemption. In Him? Forgiveness. Emanating from Him? Light.
We have much to be thankful for. Take a few minutes and, in prayer, thank Jesus for being the King who saw it fit to rescue you and welcome you into His kingdom.
Onward, saints.
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