UnGrinching Christmas

Everyone has probably heard of the Grinch who stole christmas.  He was a crotchety soul who was described as having a heart that was too small to care about anyone else but himself.  Whenever Christmas came around all the joy he heard coming from the local town (Whoville) would make his blood boil because he just couldn't handle the idea of selfless love.

Well, you may not run into too many people who are as blatantly "grinchlike" as what is described above, but if we are honest, we all probably struggle to overcome sinful tendecies every now and then that pressure us to be more selfish than selfless.

I came across a good example of someone who was feeling kind of wrapped up in their own issues and was not feeling inclined to care for someone else in need.  But, God has a way of reminding us of what truly caring life looks like and for this person, the results were quite noticeable.  Here is a snippet of his story:
"I finally got on the flight and collapsed in my seat.  My carry-on bag was on my lap because there was no room in the overhead bins or under the seats.  The only thing I wanted to do was sin.  I was thinking bad words, and I wanted to say them, but I choked them back because supposedly I am a godly man.  I was repeating Proverbs 17:28, which says 'Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent.'  I knew there was nothing godly about me at that moment, but at least if I kept my mouth shut I could pretend to be wise.  We were ready to back away from the gate when a woman rushed through the door and began stumbling down the aisle.  She was carrying an assortment of bags that were spilling all over the place, but that was the least of her problems.  What made her situation nearly impossible was that she had one eye literally sewn shut, and she seemed to be unable to read her seat number with her other eye.  The flight attendants were nowhere to be seen. . . .I was fuming and feeling sorry for myself when God brought to my mind a proverb that I had read a few weeks earlier. . .'Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel.' (Prov. 11:17LB). . .So I picked up a couple of her bags that had fallen on the floor and motioned for her to follow me.  I helped stow her stuff and take off her coat, and I made sure she got buckled in to 23B.  Then I returned to my seat. . .When I sat down in my seat, a wave of warmth and well-being flowed through me.  The frustration and anxiety that had so filled me for most of the day started to dissipate.  I felt like my parched, dusty soul had just been washed by a warm summer rain. . . .I felt good."

Grinches don't ever feel good.  That's because they don't recognize that God has made human hearts in such a way that when they show love they not only bless others, but they are blessed as well.  Whenever we get so self-focussed that we are unable to reach out to others in their need, then our hearts shrivel and die--just like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

This year, let's listen to God's words and remember that His desire is for people to be blessed.  He has given us hearts to reach out and care for those around us.  Let's unGrinch Christmas by doing what God asks us to do--and then let's step back and enjoy the blessings that He will send.

BT