Cure with Sonlight

"But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." (1 Nephi 1:20, http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/1?lang=eng)

During the winter I struggle with something that is called SAD, seasonal affective disorder. The lack of sunlight and warmth gets to me and I am depressed, sluggish, and lose my will to little things. Exercise helps, as does eating right and getting enough sleep, but the "cure" is Spring. Here in North Carolina winter is awful, not because it gets super cold, but because it gets relatively cold, extremely cloudy and gloomy, and it doesn't snow here. At least snow looks pretty; here it rarely snows, so everything just looks dead and depressing. 

Anyway...

Spring has come and everyone has said that they have seen a dramatic difference in me. The sun has come out and stayed for the most part, the weather has gotten warmer and warmer, and the plants have come back to life. The first day it was warm and sunny outside again I wanted to cry because it felt so good. It felt like a weight melted off of my shoulders. It was wonderful and terrifying at the same time. 

Many times in our lives we seem to be lost in a gloom, wandering with no direction. Sometimes we may not even notice how lost we are, until we get a taste of sun. The sun is the light of Christ and a new sense of purpose. Even when we have grown up knowing Him, we oftentimes become desensitized to His presence, and sometimes don't notice when we just wander instead of following His direction. I know that the sun is one of the most wonderful of God's gifts, such a huge but small tender mercy.

I testify to you that I know that Christ lives and loves me. I know that if we redirect ourselves and align with what God wants us to do, we will feel His presence and walk into the sun. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.