I find myself longing for vacation right about now. Ready for the beautiful, warm rays of the Florida sun - or anywhere else that can offer the same. It’s just so difficult to get much sun in the north this time of year. The cold, blustery, gray days with thick winter clouds blanketing the sky don’t allow for a whole lot of light to peep through. Unfortunately, those precious beams are few and far between, and due to this lack of sunlight, it is not uncommon for many to begin suffering from a deficiency in Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, and calcium is one of the main building blocks of bone. It also has a role in your nervous, muscle, and immune systems. Your body forms vitamin D naturally after exposure to sunlight but when there is none, you can suddenly find yourself lacking, sick, run down, and in a state that could potentially lead to more serious disease. Of course there are supplements, but nothing can take the place of the God’s creation working in harmony. Our bodies need SUN!

Similar to our physical bodies, our soul and spirit need light too, the Light of Jesus. In the beginning, God spoke and there was light. In fact, it was the very first thing God created. I believe that signifies the overwhelming importance of it. Because the natural is always secondary while the supernatural is primary, God from the very start prioritizes The Light for our lives. Skip ahead several thousand years and John records that Jesus spoke saying “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” The Light of Life! Who among us can survive spiritually without His light guiding, leading, directing, shining through the chaos and confusion of this current dark world? “…if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ…cleanseth us from all sin.” (John 1:7). There’s just nothing, no substitution or supplement, that can take the place of Jesus in our lives. We need His Light in order to maintain our spiritual health, alignment in our relationships with others, strength for our mind and soul, and cleansing from sin. Life abundant comes when we allow the Light of Jesus to shine on us, in us, and through us every day - let Him shine!

Mia Chapdelaine is a worship leader, Pastor's wife at Cornerstone Pentecostal Church in Portage, MI, and homeschool mom. She was raised in a Pastor's home and began serving in various capacities in the church at a very early age. She studied music at Indiana Bible College and medicine at Western Michigan University before earning her degree in business from Baker University. Besides serving in the Kingdom, Mia is also the mother of three beautiful children, Evan (16), Jaxon (13), and Reagan (8), and devoted wife of 19 years to Pastor Dwaine Chapdelaine.