March 2

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, — Eph 5:8 BSB

The tendency some people have toward gloominess is very unhealthy. For some, it’s a habit— they’ve let a gloomy disposition take hold for so long that they now naturally gravitate toward sadness. For others, it’s temporary, caused by loss or hardship, and they just need time to recover. The latter is not as damaging because it eventually passes, but the former, where gloom has become ingrained, should be treated like a disease and met with wise solutions. It robs life of its beauty, limits usefulness, and offends God because it demonstrates a lack of faith.

Why should anyone choose to reject the abundant sunshine of God’s blessings and instead walk in the shadows? Why close the doors and windows of your soul to live in darkness when God’s light shines all around? Anyone dealing with persistent gloom must actively work to overcome it, even though it may take time. Darkness that has settled into the soul is hard to dispel, but the effort is necessary. Staying in a state of melancholy is not fitting for a Christian.