Those Christmas Lights

 

What about those Christmas Lights

The ones in a terrible tangle

How oft you would just throw them away

But hour after hour with them you wrangle

How about the argument that ensues

How trying the one that defies

The string would glow; I know it would

If only I could find it; Oh my, oh my

First get rid of the tangle

Bring some order to the string

The fact of the matter you must realize

This is really an everyday thing

Life in a tangle; life in a mess

Solution after solution; little or no rest

Now I have it, pursued with zest

But on reflection, that was not the best

Bulb after bulb tried in each spot

Thought that one was it but it was not

Anxiety setting in and fatigue too

Tangle after tangle I must undo

Strings straighten out, back to the task

So much to do Christmas is coming fast

Now there is order perhaps I can spot

Which bulbs are working and which are not

With some strings that is easy to find

Parallel or series circuits depending on which kind

In parallel setups each bulb has a circuit

But in a series arrangement you can have a fit

In the series each bulb depends on the other

In parallel circuits one bulb out there’s no bother

The others will glow in their own little sphere

Each one with its independent circuit is clear

Several circuits, each bulb having its own

But the one-circuit string can make you groan

So much must be done if that string must glow

To locate that specific bulb that must be blown

  

Ah but when you find it what joy there is

There is a feeling of elation almost like bliss

It may have taken hours but now there’s light

There’s a sense of satisfaction you did insist

Parallel troubles are independent of one another

Series problems are solved when they are together

In life it’s important to know the difference

It’s like dealing with the differences in the weather

On a rainy day there’re some things you must do

On a sunshine day you can go breezily along

On one you can solve the problem rather easily

The next will take away your mirth and your song

The clue to either is to have Jesus on board

He is infinitely cognizant whatever the road

Concerning that blown bulb that’s giving you stress

Give the whole string to Jesus and claim his rest

Whether series or parallel matters not to him

He knows them both without and within

If the light in your life is out you can come to him

He knows that the disconnection is caused by sin

He is the light source and once link to him

All the bulbs will glow from his light within

Parallel connections are the order of the day

While series depend on others to show the way

Before this coming Christmas give him your life

Let him fix your string so your lights will glow

Let him undo the tangle mess your have right now

So that out of your life his light will show

Stewart Russell © December 2017