Grinched - part 4 - Red

Christmas music before Thanksgiving.

Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.

Christmas items being sold before Thanksgiving.

Christmas before Thanksgiving!

Christmas traffic.

Christmas wrapping.

Packed stores.

Anyone else red with anger right now? Are those things some of the pet peeves of yours as well around this time? Well, if you asked the Grinch about those things he would probably slap you in face and throw you out of his lair.

One of the very first things said about the Grinch was that “he hated Christmas the whole Christmas season.” [1] He hated everything about Christmas. The lights. The tree. The food. The people. Every time Christmas cake around the Grinch was red with anger.

There are people that get this way around the holiday season and they just like the Grinch they don’t know why. Maybe it’s the traffic. Maybe it’s the packed stores. Maybe it’s the music. Maybe it’s just the season.

I don’t know where you are with the Christmas season, but I hope that you stay tuned to this blog for next couple of weeks as we go through our next series of posts. We will be looking at why Christmas should be a time of joy and happiness.

I found for myself that the thing that makes me most angry at Christmas - besides the stuff that I listed above - is last minute running around. Sometimes it is possible that SLOTH leads us to WRATH. We don’t get started when we should on our holiday preparations and we wind up having to fight the crowds - which can make us angry.

I know that it does for me. You can’t find the things that you need to find for you dinner preparations. You can’t find the gifts that you want to get for your friends and family. I have been there before and their is nothing more frustrating than last minute shopping and not being able to get the things that you need. The holidays just didn’t go as planned.

I am reminded of the Christmas story found in the gospel of Luke and talk about things not going as planned. Mary and Joseph were expecting the birth of their baby at anytime and they find out that they had to go to Bethlehem for a census. This was not in their plans. They probably had preparations in place for the birth of the baby and afterwards, but now they had to travel. Mary probably was not thrilled about any of this as she was pregnant - very pregnant - and traveling probably wasn’t her plans (in fact I am sure of it). Then when they get to Bethlehem there is no room for them in any of the inn or houses. The only place that they can get for shelter is a stable.

Can you imagine that conversation?

“So Mary, this inn is full too. But that have a stable.”

“A what?! You have got to be kidding Joe! Do I look like stable material to you?!”

“Well....”

“Well what?! You better fix this Joseph!”

Nonetheless a stable was all that they had. But it wasn’t in their plans to have their baby - who was the Son of God - in a stable! But it was in God’s plan. [2]

We can get angry at certain situations because they are changing our plans. But maybe, just maybe, it’s a part of God’s plan. Maybe you are stuck in line at Walmart or Target to talk to some of the people in line while you wait.

You never know why God has you where you are.

Don't miss the purpose of Christmas!

Don’t let your heart be GRINCHED!