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The Dancing Snowman!
I bought this little snowman decoration at the dollar store. The chubby little plastic guy is only about 5 inches tall with a great big smile on his face. The unique thing about the snowman is he is solar powered, no batteries needed. Once he gets in the sunlight he begins to bobble back and forth, actually picking up speed and dancing happily, jiggling from head to toe.
In observing my snowman, I noticed when he is infused by the first light of sun he begins to dance, slowly at first, then picks up momentum as the sunlight intensifies. And the longer he is in the sun, the more consistent he dances. On cloudy days he jiggles less aggressively, but on days where the sun is shining brightly he dances up a storm!
I also have observed that he continues to dance for quite a long time even after the sun has gone down and darkness has taken over the sky. However, eventually his dancing slows down little by little as the energy from the sun continues to expel - until finally he stops dancing all together. I'm not sure when he stops, as he continues to dance long after I have gone to bed. However, in the morning I find him motionless. All his energy drained.
With the long dark winter hours I have tried to put him under artificial lighting, (a lamp), first thing in the morning to get him going, but to no avail. Oh he sputters a little and looks like he is going to start dancing, but it quickly dies out. It isn’t until the sunlight peaks through the darkness that he once again starts to soak up the rays and begins his happy dance, continuing to build momentum as he bathes in the natural daylight.
In thinking about my little snowman and his obvious need for sunlight to function happily and consistently, I related that to my walk with Christ. I too function at my optimum when I am in constant fellowship with Jesus the ultimate “Son” light.
When we first make Jesus “Lord of our life” we start out slowly at first, baby steps, setting aside time here and there to read our bible, praying before mealtime and at bedtime, going to church and other opportunities of becoming a Jesus follower. But as He continues to reveal Himself to us, we grow and learn and pick up momentum. God fills us with his “Son” light - love, wisdom, joy, peace and blessings. As we soak up more and more of God, we begin to “dance” happily, uninhibited like my snowman.
Conversely, we begin to loose joy and momentum as we move away from the “Son’s” light. We stop spending time with Him. We attend church irregularly and then not at all. We forget to bring Him into our daily lives as our constant help and comforter.
Oh, we can maintain our motion for a while apart from the “Son” light, like my snowman, drawing upon the deposit of “Son” light previously given; but eventually if we are away from Him long enough we become as still and lifeless as my snowman is during the early morning before the daylight hours.
We can also look for substitutes for the “Son” light like me trying to jump start my snowman in the morning with the light from a lamp. We let our relationships, task, responsibilities, and busyness take precedence. But these “artificial” idols won’t sustain us. Oh we may experience some temporary “dancing” from the artificial light they expel, but only in our relationship with Christ is the “dancing” eternal.
This Christmas I’m going to be more like my snowman, soaking in the “Son” light, remembering the importance of staying close to God and the “reason for the season”. I am also going to be more aware of the artificial imposters of “light” that may fill me for the moment but are not life sustaining.
So, I challenge you this Holiday season to dance in the “Son’s” light along with me…like my snowman.
In observing my snowman, I noticed when he is infused by the first light of sun he begins to dance, slowly at first, then picks up momentum as the sunlight intensifies. And the longer he is in the sun, the more consistent he dances. On cloudy days he jiggles less aggressively, but on days where the sun is shining brightly he dances up a storm!
I also have observed that he continues to dance for quite a long time even after the sun has gone down and darkness has taken over the sky. However, eventually his dancing slows down little by little as the energy from the sun continues to expel - until finally he stops dancing all together. I'm not sure when he stops, as he continues to dance long after I have gone to bed. However, in the morning I find him motionless. All his energy drained.
With the long dark winter hours I have tried to put him under artificial lighting, (a lamp), first thing in the morning to get him going, but to no avail. Oh he sputters a little and looks like he is going to start dancing, but it quickly dies out. It isn’t until the sunlight peaks through the darkness that he once again starts to soak up the rays and begins his happy dance, continuing to build momentum as he bathes in the natural daylight.
In thinking about my little snowman and his obvious need for sunlight to function happily and consistently, I related that to my walk with Christ. I too function at my optimum when I am in constant fellowship with Jesus the ultimate “Son” light.
When we first make Jesus “Lord of our life” we start out slowly at first, baby steps, setting aside time here and there to read our bible, praying before mealtime and at bedtime, going to church and other opportunities of becoming a Jesus follower. But as He continues to reveal Himself to us, we grow and learn and pick up momentum. God fills us with his “Son” light - love, wisdom, joy, peace and blessings. As we soak up more and more of God, we begin to “dance” happily, uninhibited like my snowman.
Conversely, we begin to loose joy and momentum as we move away from the “Son’s” light. We stop spending time with Him. We attend church irregularly and then not at all. We forget to bring Him into our daily lives as our constant help and comforter.
Oh, we can maintain our motion for a while apart from the “Son” light, like my snowman, drawing upon the deposit of “Son” light previously given; but eventually if we are away from Him long enough we become as still and lifeless as my snowman is during the early morning before the daylight hours.
We can also look for substitutes for the “Son” light like me trying to jump start my snowman in the morning with the light from a lamp. We let our relationships, task, responsibilities, and busyness take precedence. But these “artificial” idols won’t sustain us. Oh we may experience some temporary “dancing” from the artificial light they expel, but only in our relationship with Christ is the “dancing” eternal.
This Christmas I’m going to be more like my snowman, soaking in the “Son” light, remembering the importance of staying close to God and the “reason for the season”. I am also going to be more aware of the artificial imposters of “light” that may fill me for the moment but are not life sustaining.
So, I challenge you this Holiday season to dance in the “Son’s” light along with me…like my snowman.
“Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul… There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found… for when they placed it on his head he began to dance around…”
