A Liturgy For The Seasonally Depressed (SAD)
When my day begins,
before the sun does
and the comfort and warmth of my bed
feels like the only promise I can rely,
remind me of your mercies
new every morning.
Meet me with the warmth of your presence
as my feet hit the cold floor.
Place in me a supernatural faith
to believe what I do not feel.
_
Give me pause
in the all but fleeting,
yet colorful moments of the sunrise.
Remind me that you are still the God of color,
Bright and brilliant.
But that you are no less beautiful
in the day that is ruled by gray and brown.
You are the God that has made all color
for its time.
_
When I find myself stuck
between mourning the memories of fall
and longing for the life of spring,
ground me in the glories of now.
The life I can not see
and the infinite measure of your work
That does not cease.
_
When all I see is seemingly
meaningless death,
give me eyes to see
not death but dormancy.
Life under the surface,
active and deeply purposeful.
Tree bark thickening
and roots deepening.
Preparing not for winter to be over
or for warmth to return
but for fruit and flower.
_
Holy and Sovereign God
You are no less wondrous or glorious
in this winter you have ordained.
You are still jealous for our affections
and worthy of our worship.
You have not stopped working
your redemptive plan in my life
and in the world around me.
_
Fill me with awe and purpose
of this season you have made.
May each day of dormancy
prepare me for the fruit
that is to come.
_
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
- 2 Corinthians 4:16–18
