The Importance of Light
For days now I’ve been thinking about all of the earthly and heavenly parallels that exist. This week we will briefly discuss the importance of light. I see a lot of people in the secular space discussing the need for natural light. Here I’d like to share a physical as well as spiritual perspective.
In the book of Genesis we learn how the earth was made. We can see the perfect will and order of our Heavenly Father, His Son Yeshua, and His Holy Spirit. On day four of creation, Genesis 1: 14-19 says, “Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
We must spend time in the light for body and spirit. Yeshua is the light of the world. John 8:12 says, “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” We are the light of the world also because we reflect His light. Matthew 5:14-16 says,” You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp-stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” We must spend time with Him in prayer and in His Word in order to reflect His light, otherwise spiritually we become dim. As the moon reflects the light of the sun we reflect the light of the Son. If our physical bodies do not spend time in the sun, then our physical bodies likewise get dim. The Father shows us glimpses of Heaven on Earth in these ways.
We need not fear it. The sun is a blessing from God that was put there for our physical bodies to thrive. Spending time with Jesus will change your life forever into eternity, and spending time in the sun and outdoors will change your life while you are on earth. For those concerned with burning, use this spring time as a spring board into the more intense summer sun. This is one reason sunrise light is so helpful. Those rays prepare and prime us for the rest of the day. It primes our melanin production which aids in resisting burns. Don’t use sunscreen or wear sunglasses during this time. I’m not saying to never use them, there can be appropriate times, but we want to allow our bodies to get the full benefit and you will not if you use them. In brighter times of the day with sun much later in the morning or afternoon, when it makes sense, opt for hats over sunglasses, being in shade, or standing against instead of toward the sun. I do keep a pair of sunglasses in my car when driving for safety. Practice now getting out there so when summer is here, your tolerance will be stronger. Keep up that practice throughout the year. If you do, you will find less need for sunscreen. If using sunscreen, please opt for an all natural zinc based option.
For many years I have prioritized outdoor time, but not necessarily sunrise or making it important to get different kinds of natural light for specific reasons. I’ve always said to my husband that I need to go charge my battery. I didn’t have as full of an understanding as I do now until three years ago when I began healing after miscarriage and my circadian rhythm had been completely thrown out of wack, sunrise was where I started. I’d eat a little bit of yogurt to get some initial protein and go for a sunrise walk. Sunrise light is absolutely foundational due to what it offers because it’s unique compared to the rest of the light during the day. It wakes us up, provides energy, and tells our melatonin levels to quiet down. This isn’t to say that we don’t need sun throughout the day, because we do. I think this is a great place to start though. Then eventually work in your other sunlight snacks like midday and sunset. On the reverse sunset rays tells our cortisol levels to settle down, and that it’s time to get ready to sleep. God is so good!
If you don’t consider yourself a morning person, I promise that’s just cultural conditioning and habits that have built over the years. We are all intended to be morning people. We have lots of bright lights, distracting devices, nursing babies, or perhaps jobs that all prevent that from being the case sometimes. If you are in need of better circadian health, want to feel good, sleep better, and have increased energy throughout your day, it all begins at sunrise. It may take quite a bit of adjusting. You may be uncomfortable at first. That is okay. It will be worth it. Speaking of babies, this is great for them too, and will improve their temperament as well as sleep!
The more time spent outside, the better. We don’t always have a ton of time to do so though. Aim to get sunrise light exposure, even if it’s cloudy, for at least 5 minutes. Even if sunrise exposure looks like driving to work with the window down and looking outside at traffic lights, make it work for you. Whatever your best is that day, do it. If you can strive for 15 minutes, that’s great. Weather and time permitting, I’ll do 30 minutes. I’ll generally read my Bible during that time. I’ll ground if possible as well.
It is equally important today to guard our eyes and protect them from too much unnatural light from devices, overhead lighting, and LED light bulbs. A simple option is to wear blue light blocking glasses once the sun begins to set or you could choose a regular time each day to put them on like 6pm just to be in a routine. Shut your devices down 1-2 hours before bed. Don’t keep routers or devices in your bedroom. Use blackout shades on windows. Lamps at eye level are better than overhead lighting. The best light other than natural light is with incandescent light bulbs like these Chromalux Bulbs (use discount code to save 10%: KINGDOMHEALTH).
My prayer for you is that you were encouraged to spend more time with Jesus as well as making it a habit to get out and experience more sunrises!
Studies:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-0231
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3487856/
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