I live in one of the darkest places in the world. Vancouver gets less sunlight per year than many places on this planet (that is, according to Google). As I was observing how late the sun rises and how early it sets these days, I was relieved to find that the Winter Solstice (the shortest day and the longest night of the year due to less sunlight) has already passed—which means that every dreary winter day that passes from now until Summer Solstice will only bring us more sunlight. (If you live in a perpetually sunny place, you might not understand why sunshine is such a big deal to those of us living in the Pacific Northwest. Haha.)
This means that the darker days are (literally) behind us and the brighter days are ahead.
Yet it might not immediately seem like this. Many of us forget that Winter Solstice marks the first day of winter, not the middle of it. As we trudge on through cold winter days, it might seem like gloom is all there is. It’s hard to imagine that we’re actually getting more hours of sunlight as winter progresses. In fact, it takes a quarter of a year before we start seeing noticeable differences in the amount of sunshine we get.
And—surprise, surprise—this is just like LIFE.
Whether it’s getting laid off from your job, having your heart broken, or losing a loved one, the ‘initial blow’ is always the hardest part of anything in life. It’s our own human version of the ‘Winter Solstice’: the darkest day of the year (the day with the least sunlight). When these things happen, it feels like it’s only uphill from here—like the darker days have just begun.
But remember:
Your metaphorical ‘Winter Solstice’ is the darkest day—which means brighter days are ahead of you. The days that follow might still appear to be gloomy, but don’t let appearances deceive you; each one gradually brings more sunlight … even if you can hardly detect it. Every tear-filled night that happens afterwards functions like raindrops, making your soil fruitful in due time.
When you are physically wounded, your body will immediately begin to repair itself. The same goes for emotional and spiritual wounds. After the ‘initial blow’, your spirit will begin to heal itself too. And so will God. So rest in Him. Don’t leave Him out of the healing process; He is the process.
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Celine Diaz: Real Talk 