I just returned from a lunch-break walk in the fresh air and sunshine. It felt great! As I was feeling the sun’s warmth on my skin on this early October day, I thought about the sun’s holistic health benefits.
Exposure to the sun on the skin in moderate and safe amounts is a good source of Vitamin D. Vitamin D, sometimes referred to as the “sunshine vitamin,” is found in salmon, tuna, egg yolks, dairy, fortified orange juice, and some cereals (to name just a few). Vitamin D helps keep the bones and teeth strong and helps fight against infections, cancer, and inflammation. Yay!
“Truly the light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun” (Ecclesiastes 11:7). The soul, the inner man, benefits from sunlight. I am aware of the need for clouds and rain to benefit the earth, but on gloomy, cloudy days… or wintry months when the days are short… I long for the sun. It is good for my soul to see the light. Sun and light therapy, Vitamin D for the soul, are known to benefit conditions such as seasonal affective disorder—or just make people happier!
As for man’s spirit, the spirit of man benefits from the source of the sun—God Himself and His Son Jesus. See what I did there? Sun from the Son. A healthy spirit in a right relationship with the Son and His Father provides Vitamin D for the spirit: “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good…” (Genesis 1:3-4). Even God Himself enjoys the light!
* Watch for my new book Holy and Wholistic Health! It will be available soon!
Photo by alyssa teboda on Unsplash