the Frozen Man

I know what it means to freeze to death…
Lose a little life with every breath…
To say goodbye to life on earth…
And come around again…

Lord have mercy on the frozen man. (James Taylor, 1991)

Since James Taylor is one of my favorite songwriters, I find myself often forwarding through other artists on my iPod to re-listen to some of my favorites songs by him. While listening to the lyrics of the Frozen Man the other day, I felt to go back and listen to the last verse again.

(White Marsh area @ Sunset)

My mind began to flip back through the memories of different chapters in my own life when I have become ‘stuck’ in a moment, unable to move forward. It has happened many times and I’ve allowed myself to be frozen, while life is passing me by. It is like the old statement…’you are stuck in a moment and can’t get out of it’.

Some situations are simply life, while others are brought on by ourselves. The choice we have to make is - do we allow it to frame us up neatly in a picture frame, or do we escape and move forward? Do you ever wonder why God turns up the heat? Those times in your life when you simply can’t understand why He would allow this to be.

(Parking Meter - Bel Air, MD)

I wonder today if He is simply trying to ‘thaw’ us out of our frozen state to get us to live. We quite often run from these fiery moments because it can get awfully ‘hot in the kitchen.’ 

But as another song says, it is “through the fire our weakness is made strong.” 

Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14, “….I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

(Skyline - Philadelphia, PA)

Let’s face facts today – there are moments when Christ has to turn up the heat on us. If we resist and run from it, the picture frames from our past are going to freeze us in time, causing us to reach the end with regrets. Don’t be robbed of your ‘season’ of joy, hope, and passion because you are frozen in a picture frame of your past.

Turn toward the heat and warm up.

Thaw out and LIVE. 

For ordering blog pictures, please visit: 

www.morningjogphotography.smugmug.com