Day 7 - No Fear (Snowman Edition)

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"10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people."

Luke 2:10 (NIV)

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Let me tell you a story of 2 snowmen (well, actually, a snowman and his girlfriend).

One day, Mr Snowman, who lived at Barker Cottage, was minding his own business when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something begin to glow. What was that light? He looked ahead at his girlfriend to see if she could see what it was. For the briefest of seconds, horror crossed her face but then she looked back at him and smiled. He felt his heart melt (just a little).

A peculiar sensation began to run up his spine. It was a new feeling, a weird feeling, a feeling of… warmth. After the shock, he decided he quite liked it. He looked up and there she was her face beaming back at him, beautiful as ever - only her nose had moved. Whilst it was bazaar, it wasn’t the first time, so he just smiled back.

But, then, he noticed something else…he was shrinking! How was that possible…then it dawned on him and fear crossed his face. He realised he was beginning to ‘melt’. He looked to his girlfriend to confirm his suspicions. She just smiled back. And as Mr Snowmen fell asleep, he kept looking at her smile. It calmed him down. He didn’t feel so terrified anymore. She was OK, so he was OK. The last thing he saw was her beautiful smile.

As a kid, my absolute favourite thing to do when the snow came was to make a snowman. In many ways, we are like the snowman. In the timescale of eternity, here and gone in a few hours. Melting away, seeing change we can't control and for many of us, this is scary. We feel afraid. As humans we like to control so when we can't, its a natural response to feel fear. However, just like Mr Snowman's girlfriend, we don't need to fear. In fact, we are told 365 times in the Bible, not to fear. We need to be more like her and let go and let God. God's got this.

This Christmastime, take the lead from Mary and Joseph. They have every right to fear and yet they followed God and look at the impact that had on the world.

Reflect today: What is it that you are most fearful of? Maybe write it down. Maybe speak it out loud. What can you do today to give that fear to God? Let Him take it off you. Then today - how can you be more like Mary and Joseph?

Dear Lord,

It's not always easy following you. Many days I find myself overwhelmed. Even though you say not to fear - it's hard! Please help me to overcome fear. Please be with me as I step out in your name. Please help me to know that with you by my side nothing is too great to handle. Remind me that, like Paul says in Philippians 1:21, "to live is Christ, to die is gain". Thank you for all the wonders you have performed in my life. Make me new in your image.

Amen