Spiritual Light Therapy

Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

(John 8:12 NLT)

I was watching the news last week. There was a report about people who would attend light therapy sessions in coffee shops in Norway. Apparently, because there is very little light during the day, people become susceptable to depression more during the winter than the summer. The reason is because light has a positive affect on the emotions. Chemically, light increases the amount of seratonin in the brain. When a person goes through the day with very little light (because there are fewer hours of sunlight for example), the seratonin levels go down. This causes depression. Some experts argue whether it is the seratonin or melatonin levels that cause this disorder. But the principle is still the same – not enough light in our lives.

There is even a name for this: Seasonal Affective Disorder. It is commonly known as getting the winter blues.

One of the best therapies is light therapy. The treatment consists of basically going into a room with lots of light and staying there for about 20-30 minutes. There are companies that sell products where you can have your own light therapy. There are even “light therapy salons” in the Scandanavian countries. Light therapy is used to fight the darkness. Light is the prescription against the winter blues that come from too much darkness.

Spiritually, the same is also true. It is no accident that Jesus calls Himself the Light of the World. It is no accident that where He resides is light – no darkness available. Heaven is described as a place where God resides and were Christians live in His light.

Following Jesus is the basic “light therapy” against the darkness in our lives. We can come to Him to fight our spiritual winter blues.