Ephesians 5:4
“Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk;
but instead, let there be thanksgiving.”
“The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss is the theme for an ice “adventure” in the city near me. The book first published in 1957 was one of his easiest books to write as he was beginning his career back in 1955. It was brought to life in 1966 with Boris Karloff as the voice of the Grinch. Jim Carey played the Grinch in 2007 in film. This poem, I discovered, was Dr. Seuss dealing with his cynicism on Dec. 26, 1955, as he grappled with his wife’s illnesses and his perceived commercialization of Christmas. He was the Grinch!!! He sat down and turned to words and poetry. He wrote himself into a dilemma, though, as he tried to reconcile the reality of life and faith. He resolved that tension by having the Grinch sit down at the Christmas table and the Grinch carves the roast beast.
Perhaps you feel like the Grinch right now as you face the merriment of the season with the reality of expectations and limited resources or perhaps you face the future with an ailing friends. The Grinch might be your story this year! Ephesians warns us to avoid the trap of using vulgar talk, obscene language to express our deep frustrations with situations. It’s rather acceptable today to hear what some consider vulgar language on all media, language that would not have been acceptable at the time of the writing of the Grinch. It seems that language can be used to let off steam but vulgar language does not resolve the situation. Paul urges us to turn to thanksgiving and finding the positive.
The Grinch carves the roast beast. Allow me the “poetic license” of this post to suggest that it is only as we cut into Christ, our sacrifice that we celebrate now, that we can find any resolution and hope for the future. Our heart grows three times larger when we praise and release our grumps. We have a choice on how we focus and Invest (i) through thanksgiving. I is for ….., N is for ….., V is for ….., E is for ……, S is for….., and T is for ……. Blessings.
On the Way to Wonder 