Sunlight to Your Bones

Well for one unaccustomed to illness, this past week has been one to remember. I still do not know whether I got the Big-C; friends urge me to go and get tested, but my preference- and that of the NHS website- is to stay at home and sit still. I can only hope that, having had a mild dose (4-5 days’ worth of bed occupation) I am now immune to it.

Yesterday I ventured out into my little back yard and sat in a garden chair, pyjamas rolled up, to catch as many rays as I might. Like Solomon in Ecclesiastes 11:7, I could say  

Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.

My bedroom is not a particularly unpleasant place, nor my bed uncomfortable. But after several days of confinement there, the sunlight was sweet indeed. There are many supposed benefits of sunlight trumpeted on the internet, some with little corroboration. Many also proclaim the problems caused by its excess, such as skin cancers and burning. One benefit of sunlight, which is substantiated, is its generation of Vitamin D, which strengthens the bones. So my impromptu sunbathe not only lifted my spirit but strengthened parts of me I cannot see.

Scripture provides us with another source of strength to our bones. I suspect it is figurative, seeing as the bones are the frame upon which the rest of the body hangs. Writes Solomon in Proverbs 3:

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

It will be health to your flesh,

And strength to your bones.

During this time of isolation when even sunshine cannot be guaranteed, fearing God, leaning on His wisdom and avoiding evil, will do our bones better than even a deckchair on a sunny afternoon.

Every joy or trial falleth from above,

Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;

We may trust Him fully, all for us to do;

They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest

Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

FRH