As I woke up to the sound of rain again this morning, knowing it would be another day of grey skies and gloomy weather, I struggled to find the energy and motivation to get up and start my day. I didn’t want to get up, it would be cold. I didn’t want to drive to work, the roads would be gross. I didn’t want to do anything but sit and sulk about the lack of sunshine.

Sunshine is vital to our mental health and many people, myself included, struggle greatly during seasons of lots of clouds and little sun. We can get stuck in the gloominess of the weather and our minds and hearts can be filled with a similar gloom. This lack of sun can contribute to the morning I had today, one lacking motivation and filled to the brim with grumpiness.

So when the weather refuses to behave, we have to find sunshine in our lives in different ways. We have to find ways to care for our bodies, minds and hearts. For me, it is incredibly important to not give in to the gloominess and sulk all day. I have a long history of depression, and even though I’m in a healthy place right now, those old habits and thoughts can creep in if I’m not paying attention.

So what do I do? Where can I find good metaphorical sunshine when the actual sunshine refuses to show up?

I find it in time with the awesome staff at the church. We have a wonderful time working together, and our meetings are often filled with laughter. This past week there has been plenty of laughter as we prepared for and performed at First Hurst Got Talent (if you missed the show I would highly recommend checking out the video on the youth instagram – @fumchurstyouth). It is a wonderful blessing to work with people you can laugh with, and that laughter can bring plenty of sunshine.

I find it in time with my wonderful friends. Sometimes that time is in person, like when a friend brings her kids over so we can hang out and have dinner together when both of our husbands are busy with work. Sometimes that’s over the phone, like every Thursday when I chat with my sister about everything going on in our lives. My friends bring me great joy, or as I’ll call it for the sake of this metaphor, they bring me lots of sunshine.

I find it in time with the Lord. My morning quiet time with the Lord never fails to lift my spirits in some way. Sometimes it is through an encouraging word that brings my heart joy. Sometimes it is in the freedom to share my hurt with the Lord and know that I am being heard. No matter the gloom of the outside world, or the gloom that has settled in my heart, the unchanging nature of our loving God is always a place to find a glimpse of sunshine.

There are lots of ways to find sunshine when the actual sun refuses to shine. Sometimes it feels impossible, sometimes it may actually be impossible to find, but I hope that no matter where we are in life that we would try to find the sunshine in the midst of the gloom of another rainy day.