January and February are hard for me. I live in the northern hemisphere, and I’m extremely solar powered. By the time January hits, I’m just done. It’s been dark for months, and the gentle happy glow of Christmas is over. I’m tired, sluggish, cold, unmotivated, and in physical pain. Even high doses of injected vitamin D prescribed by my doctor only barely take the edge off. I just have to push through until March when the sun comes back and my body forgives me for subjecting it to winter.

Descriptions of Jesus as the light of the world resonate with me for this reason. Just as the sun illuminates the darkness and gives me hope and joy and relieves my physical pain, the Son of God illuminates the spiritual darkness and gives me hope and joy and relieves my metaphysical pain.

And when I’m feeling spiritually down, I can remind myself that the Son might be harder to see at some times, but March is coming. The Lord is my light.