Are you one of those people who hates cloudy days? When the sun is hidden by dark and dreary clouds, it tends to affect our moods. When those clouds bring rain, that also tends to bring on depression-like feelings.

"Rainy days and Mondays" can bring us down because there is something about sunshine that lifts our spirits. But in these mostly dark and dreary winter months, we can sometimes go DAYS with no sun. Does that mean we are doomed to gloomy moods in the winter?I don't believe so. When grey skies cloud my mood, I try to remind myself that we NEED rain and other forms of precipitation in order to have water to drink and plants and flowers to enjoy when the sun shines. Clouds are part of the deal. The problem is, no matter how much I remind myself, no matter how much I try to rely on my own attitude to lift my spirits...I still find myself becoming a "gloomy Gus."But God made us a promise...

"O Lord, you are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness." 2 Samuel 22:29

Dear God, how I needed to hear this promise today!

You will lighten up my darkness.

I cannot, nor can my family and friends.

You alone can bring light to my darkness.

Though it is pitch black

Though clouds pile heavy and high

Though thunder roars

Though I see only confusion

YOU will lighten my darkness!

My hope is in you.

I look for You.

I wait for You.

Nothing will prevent it.

You will lighten my darkness.

It is possible to shake off the gloomies...call on God to lighten your darkness. He is there for you. Does that mean if we have God in our lives we will never get depressed or gloomy? Will we always have sunshine in our hearts and sing and skip through this dark and dreary world? Not at all. There WILL be hard times, there WILL be times when we are saddened and depressed by our situations. The promise God makes means that when the clouds roll in, when the darkness comes, if we look to God, if we "give" our dark mood to God, He will walk us THROUGH it and back to the light of the sunshine. Call out to Him...He is there.