Reflection

April 8, 2009 | 9 comments

I learned something about polar bears this week by reading the kids’ Suave shampoo bottle.

On the front of the bottle, a cartoon polar bear with sunglasses is sliding down a hill on a snowboard, while promising that this shampoo is “tears free” and will “eliminate tough tangles.” On the back, just above the instructions for washing one’s hair, the shampoo bottle offers this bit of trivia. It reads:

“Did you Know? Polar bears only look white because of sunlight — but their hair is really made of clear, hollow tubes filled with air.”

That white coat — so brilliant — has no light of its own. It cannot glow without the sun.

Consider this: Neither can we shine without the Light.

On this week, which vacillates between the darkness of the cross and the brilliance of an empty tomb, we are reminded anew that we have the Light of life.

I trade in the hollowness of my life — dark, messy, prideful — for a white coat that I don’t deserve, a robe that only shines in the Light of the Son.


It’s like this: God is Light. I am a carrier of the Light, and I need to walk in it.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” Ephesians 5:8

***

“Snow on Snout Polar Bear” image from First People.

“Robe” photo courtesy of photobucket.

by | April 8, 2009 | 9 comments

9 Comments

  1. sharilyn

    great comparison… and thought-provoking words… may we continue to be a reflection of the Son.

    Reply
  2. hope42day

    “I am the light of the world.”
    And with Jesus in my life, it’s hard not to spread some sunshine!

    Reply
  3. Billy Coffey

    So very good. You never know where inspiration will come from, do you? Even shampoo bottles can give us a glimpse of who we are and who God intends us to be.

    Reply
  4. Julie

    Thank you for your insight! I just love the way you write!

    May your Easter be a blessed one!

    julie

    Reply
  5. Lyla Lindquist

    Wonderful.

    Reply
  6. God's Not Finished With Us Yet...

    What a great way to bring translation from what you read from the shampoo bottle into it relfecting the light that we can only have through Christ.

    Reply
  7. elaine @ peace for the journey

    A routine bath that leads to revelation…love it! May we all be bathed in the truth of God’s Light this week as we pilgrim to the cross and beyond.

    peace~elaine

    Reply
  8. Alleluiabelle

    I love this post! You are so in tune with seeing life through His eyes Jennifer. What a great reflection of His light you are to all of us as we walk on the narrow pathway through this life.

    He used you mightly again today.

    Hugs,
    Alleluiabelle

    Reply
  9. God's Not Finished With Us Yet...

    ….something else I’d like to add that I heard once but wanted to confirm it to be truthful.

    Not about polar bears and the sunlight, but about butterflies…

    Did you know that butterflies need the warmth of the sun to enable them to fly in their full glory? I heard this awhile back but didn’t want to share it the other day until I researched the facts. Some may already know this, but I think it parallels with your shampoo bottle story; in the same way a polar bear can’t glow w/o the sun; a butterfly needs the sun to enable them to fly. Hmmmm….

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Pin It on Pinterest