Meditation Metaphor: Sunshine & Superman

Sunshine is sweet; it is good to see the light of day.  (Ecclesiastes 11:7)

When the weather is good I eat my lunch out on the deck at my office building. After a morning spent in a windowless office, staring at a computer screen, the feel of the sun's rays on my skin is fantastic.

Before I even begin eating my lunch I sit and spread my arms out and soak up the sunshine.

Sometimes I imagine myself as Superman, floating in space, absorbing the energy of the yellow sin.  According to the comic-book legend, his powers come from Earth's yellow sun.

As I absorb the sun's warmth, I picture myself becoming more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings with a single bound.

Yes, I grew up on comic books and still have super hero thoughts flash like a speeding bullet through my mind occasionally.

It's truly wonderful, though, that for something you can't actually grab and hold in your hand, the effect of sunshine can be felt in an instant.

Equally so, the effect of a gloomy and sunless day can have a quick effect on a person's mood. Seasonal disaffective syndrome (SAD) is a medically proven physiological and psychological problem resulting in part from too little sunlight.

Exposure to the sun causes specific reactions in the human body. It encourages the production of beneficial vitamin D.  It also causes increased production and color-changes in melanin, resulting in sunburn or suntan.

Over-exposure to the sun's rays can lead to skin cancer, can accelerate aging and wrinkling of the skin, and can impair the immune system.

I really dislike using sunscreen. Some people like the smell of it, but me?  Not so much.  I know, though, that by using sunscreen the negative effects of sunlight can be prevented or slowed down. They contain chemicals and particles that absorb or scatter ultraviolet light. This allows the body to receive the benefits of sunshine while reducing the risk of harmful over-exposure.

And so I use sunscreen if I'm going to be out in the sun for a long time. Because, unlike Superman, my body isn't suited to handle that much of the direct power of the sun.

He is like the light of morning at sunrise
on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain
that brings grass from the earth.’
  (II Samuel 23:3)

Meditating on the Word is much like soaking up the sun's rays.

Like the sun, the Word gives me power - to overcome sin and live a godly life (Psalm 119:11).

The scriptures light my way and help me find my way through life (Psalm 119:105)

Just as sun-enriched vitamin D gives makes me healthier and strengthens my immune system, meditating on the Bible nurtures both my spiritual and physical health (Proverbs 4:20-22) and protects me from Satan's attacks (I John 2:14)

And, like soaking up the sun, soaking up the Word just plain makes me happy (Psalm 119:16,24, 143).

Reading the Bible also provides a similar protection as sunscreen. Very few people in history have spoken directly to God, and they were not allowed to see His face.

  Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”  

  And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.  But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”  

  Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

(Exodus 33:18-23)

Even after being protected from the full force of God's glory, Moses' face was radiant when he came down from the mountain. (Exodus 34:29-20) I've often wondered if he had a sun burn from the experience.

God hasn't asked us to shield ourselves behind a cleft in a rock. Instead, He has put us at a safe distance by revealing Himself to us second-hand, through the writings of the prophets and apostles.

Have you ever wished God had been more clear in the Bible?  Perhaps He could have given us an indexed encyclopedia instead of a book full of history and poetry.

The next time you wish for a clearer picture of God's heart, be thankful for the sunscreen of the Bible. He's given us more than enough to provide the benefits we need, without over-exposing us.

Meditating on His Word may not give us the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but...

You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;

my God turns my darkness into light.

With your help I can advance against a troop;

with my God I can scale a wall.

(Psalm 18:28-29)