05 Feb February Note From Dri: Bring in the Light
February is one of the cold winter months and in my opinion it’s only saving grace is that it’s short with occasional warm days like Monday. The days are short, the evenings are dark, and the cold fluctuates from miserable to teasingly warm for a day and back again. For many, this time of year even brings about seasonal affective disorder, or SAD for short. Whether you’re clinical or just feeling glum about the season here are five ways to bring the light in and brighten a dreary month.
Light a candle at the dinner table.
We’ve started a tradition that when we sit down to eat together, which isn’t every night, we light a simple taper candle. It doesn’t seem like much, but it sets the mood and brings everyone together. You can remind your kids that Jesus is the light of the world and that when we snuff the candle, we are taking the light out into the world.
Get outside.
Getting outside is hard when it’s dreary but sunlight, even from a cloudy day, can help improve your mood. Kids especially benefit from a little time outside. It reminds us of our incredible creator who made the intricate and delicate ecosystems and weather patterns. As Alfred Wainwright says, “there’s no bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” So take advantage of warm days like Monday, or bundle up, or grab some rain boots, and get outside to enjoy God’s creation.
Love your neighbor.
February is Valentine’s Day and the perfect time to show love to those around you. When we take our children along with us, they get to see us living out the love of Christ to those around us too. Consider bringing goodies to your neighbors, volunteering with our local ministry partners, visit the nursing home, or help a friend in need. Or consider raising funds as a family for one of our ministry partners, like Canopy NWA, who recently lost their federal funding but wants to continue to support the refugees that have been entrusted to their care.
Open your home.
Inviting people into our lives and our homes can be difficult, especially in the winter months when we tend to withdraw and isolate. However, it’s important to our spiritual growth to cultivate hospitality and opening our homes can bring much needed life and energy to our homes. Consider getting together with another family in your neighborhood or in our church that you don’t know as well or you want to know better. Maybe invite a newer couple or an older church member for lunch. Make the meal simple, and focus on the relationship. Kids especially benefit when they know and are known by as many caring adults of various ages as possible. What better way for them to feel known, loved, and a sense of belonging and to show the love of Christ than to help host those caring adults in their home.
Spend time in the Word.
I love to read a good book cuddled up on the couch with a warm beverage when it’s cold outside. So I ask myself, ‘why not read a book of the Bible?’ Consider picking a narrative book or passage, like the book of Joshua or Esther, even Acts or one of Paul’s Epistles. Try reading it through as though it were a novel, rather than trying to pick it apart verse by verse for meaning. If you can, find or make a version without chapter and verse demarcation. Then, meditate on the whole story. Often we try to dissect each verse and phrase to find out how it applies to our own lives. That’s not a bad way to read scripture. But we rarely zoom out to see the whole story. We can also gain a lot by simply marinating on a narrative passage as a whole because the whole Bible is God’s story and His Word will not come back void.
I hope you find these suggestions helpful in your discipleship journey as you grow in your love and knoweldge of God the Father, Christ the son, and the Holy Spirit. May He warm your heart in the cold, make His face to shine upon you in the darkness, and give you peace that passes understanding.