Yeah, You've Got One Too

Have you ever noticed in the seasons Christmas movies there is always a villain. Some shifty character looms behind the scene, his whole goal to mess up Christmas for all others, giving himself total pleasure. We had the Mr. Potter in “It’s a wonderful life”, the magician in Frosty, the Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol, and of course, the great Boris Karloff telling the story of the Grinch. All these characters whose sole purpose is to bring as much doom and gloom, the very condition of their hearts and souls, into the lives of everyone they encounter.

I feel relatively safe to write that most of us, my readers, have our own Grinch’s who darken our doors, spewing forth their foul stench to sadden our spirits during our own Celebration of Christmas. They wear the frame of family, bosses, situations, commercialization, and memories, to mention a few, ever to happy to sew misery into our joy. They are like the leaky pipes hidden behind walls, causing slow and gradual, unknown and unseen damage, so vast and costly that by the time their destructive work has been found, the harm has been done. Like the classic stories of Christmas, our Grinch’s are ever present.

Just to throw salt in wounds, I also feel relatively safe that at many times, we become our own Grinch’s, spoiling our own Joy in the Celebration of our Saviors’ birth. How easy it is to get caught up in the stress, anxiety, dysfunction, and commercialization of the events and environment around us, which becomes reflected in our attitudes of anger, frustration, rejection, and so on. I know that most of us don’t appreciate others pointing out our Grinch like behaviors, even though we can find it quite easy to point out those behaviors in others. I encourage you to slow down, take a breath, and remember why you’re shopping, remember why you’re celebrating, and remember that this is a Season of Birth, Salvation, and Joy, not spending, emotional outbursts, and misery.

I find it just as interesting that in reality, the Birth of Christ is very much God’s own story of overthrowing the villain of our lives, offering a second chance, a rebirth, to reconcile and reconnect to Him, the Creator. A God so unbelievable that He would sacrifice his very essence to bring back a creation that so often embraces evil, defies the Creator, denies His existence, and lives in their own worlds of denial and filth, because He is able to love beyond the creations ability to comprehend. Oh, my friend and reader, how we are blessed. Sit in the presence of God, be grateful for His love, and celebrate the birth of your Savior in a unique and authentic manner.


(The writings in this post are random thoughts and observations and are NEVER intended as professional or personal advice. Take what works and leave the rest. For information on mental health and/or substance abuse help, visit http://www.rodneyvalandra.com and refer to the links page.)

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