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The Silent Grinch
Philippians 4:4,5
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Growing up, I always hated Christmas. I hated the tree, I hated the carols, I hated the gifts. It all seemed so fake. Christmas was nothing more than a contest of who could get the most and who could give the best. I hated it. My hero became the Grinch. However, if I would have wrote how The Grinch Stole Christmas, the ending would have been much different. The Grinch’s heart would have never grown and Christmas would have went over Mt. Crumpit quicker than the Who’s could have said Whosy-What’s-It.
Even after coming to know the Lord, Christmas was still one of my least favorite days. Give me trash day any day over Christmas. Then God looked down on me and had a good laugh.
You see, in July I had a dear friend come all the way up from Mississippi to visit me. She is a Christmas-holic. It was Christmas trees here, Christmas this, Christmas that… it was endless. Being that I live in Michigan, and I wanted to make her trip memorable, what better place to take her than Frankenmuth and the home of Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland. After all, it is the world’s largest Christmas store. I figured I could swallow my hatred for Christmas long enough to see that she at least got the thrill of her life time in a store devoted to her favorite holiday. If the Grinch could put on a Santa suit, I could walk into Bronner’s with a smile just for her.
Even though I live a mere fifteen miles away from the choice destination of Frankenmuth that so many people travel from all the corners of the globe to visit, I had never been a tourist in that town. I had driven through it all of three times. Never had I even seen Bronner’s and I sure didn’t know what all they had other than high prices. On a raining Thursday evening, God took us too Bronner’s and in doing so, He would show me first hand that He really doesn't care about wrapping paper or bows.
You see, Bronner’s doesn’t just have Christmas decorations and tree trimmings up the whazoo, we discovered that they also had the Silent Night Chapel. This chapel is an exact replica of the one in Germany where the beloved Christmas carol Silent Night was first performed. At first, I thought this was going to be the torture of tortures. Non-stop Silent Night being sung with a back drop of plastic wise men and Christmas trees; the Grinch’s worst nightmare!
Standing there in the middle of the chapel, this Grinch’s heart grew three sizes that day. With the words “Silent night, Holy night, all is calm, all is bright, …” playing in the background and sinking into my soul, the words stuck me like a steel anvil. The tears started to flow as I began to realize that on that night, Jesus left all that He had in heaven to take on the human body of a lowly carpenter. He began His journey on earth that day that would reunite us with God. It would cost Him everything to give us everything in His gift of salvation to the world. It is a celebration of the beginning of the journey and that is truly a reason to celebrate. Things that I knew already, but with an understanding in the celebration and how we should be rejoicing.
There would be no designer ornaments hanging on a tree. No custom made gifts from the finest stores. No football games after a big meal. No parades. No claiming to have the greatest gift. It was the greatest gift. The tears began to flow as I thought of our Savior, sitting in heaven, being worshipped by the angels and saying good-bye to it all to come to a war torn, sin-filled world that would hate Him enough to kill Him. Jesus knew before He ever left heaven that this was the only way. He knew it was not an easy way, but He loved us enough to take that trip and take all that the world could dish out just so that we could be with Him forever. What an amazing love. What a heart wrenching day that must have been for Him when He left the Father for the first time.
It’s such a simple thought really. It's not about the presents, the packages, the bobbles and the bows. It’s one that many people are blessed with understanding right away. But it is one that this Grinch had to learn through tears standing in the middle of a chapel with the song of that silent night. Christmas may be the day that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but is also the day that would begin the journey from heaven to the grave and from the grave to the sky. That is the reason for the season, no matter how bad Santa thinks it is about him.
It’s amazing how God can use something so simple to teach us the greatest of lessons and turn even the heart of this Grinch into a melted puddle of tears and gratitude. Rejoice I say, rejoice, for the Savior did come and He brought with Him the greatest gift of all. And Christmas can truly be the celebration of the start of that journey every day of the year!
Rejoice I say, Rejoice! For it is okay to be a Grinch, just don't forget that even behind it all beats the heart of God! In that fact alone, rejoice!
------------------
Kristi is a self-sacrificing person looking to help the lost find their way into the waiting arms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She lives in Michigan with her ferret, Kudo, and her constant companion, Athur-itis. She is the writer of the daily devotional titled "Fish Food"
Please feel free to pass this devotional along to others as long as you keep the author information intact.
By Kristi
Submitted by Richard
Philippians 4:4,5
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Growing up, I always hated Christmas. I hated the tree, I hated the carols, I hated the gifts. It all seemed so fake. Christmas was nothing more than a contest of who could get the most and who could give the best. I hated it. My hero became the Grinch. However, if I would have wrote how The Grinch Stole Christmas, the ending would have been much different. The Grinch’s heart would have never grown and Christmas would have went over Mt. Crumpit quicker than the Who’s could have said Whosy-What’s-It.
Even after coming to know the Lord, Christmas was still one of my least favorite days. Give me trash day any day over Christmas. Then God looked down on me and had a good laugh.
You see, in July I had a dear friend come all the way up from Mississippi to visit me. She is a Christmas-holic. It was Christmas trees here, Christmas this, Christmas that… it was endless. Being that I live in Michigan, and I wanted to make her trip memorable, what better place to take her than Frankenmuth and the home of Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland. After all, it is the world’s largest Christmas store. I figured I could swallow my hatred for Christmas long enough to see that she at least got the thrill of her life time in a store devoted to her favorite holiday. If the Grinch could put on a Santa suit, I could walk into Bronner’s with a smile just for her.
Even though I live a mere fifteen miles away from the choice destination of Frankenmuth that so many people travel from all the corners of the globe to visit, I had never been a tourist in that town. I had driven through it all of three times. Never had I even seen Bronner’s and I sure didn’t know what all they had other than high prices. On a raining Thursday evening, God took us too Bronner’s and in doing so, He would show me first hand that He really doesn't care about wrapping paper or bows.
You see, Bronner’s doesn’t just have Christmas decorations and tree trimmings up the whazoo, we discovered that they also had the Silent Night Chapel. This chapel is an exact replica of the one in Germany where the beloved Christmas carol Silent Night was first performed. At first, I thought this was going to be the torture of tortures. Non-stop Silent Night being sung with a back drop of plastic wise men and Christmas trees; the Grinch’s worst nightmare!
Standing there in the middle of the chapel, this Grinch’s heart grew three sizes that day. With the words “Silent night, Holy night, all is calm, all is bright, …” playing in the background and sinking into my soul, the words stuck me like a steel anvil. The tears started to flow as I began to realize that on that night, Jesus left all that He had in heaven to take on the human body of a lowly carpenter. He began His journey on earth that day that would reunite us with God. It would cost Him everything to give us everything in His gift of salvation to the world. It is a celebration of the beginning of the journey and that is truly a reason to celebrate. Things that I knew already, but with an understanding in the celebration and how we should be rejoicing.
There would be no designer ornaments hanging on a tree. No custom made gifts from the finest stores. No football games after a big meal. No parades. No claiming to have the greatest gift. It was the greatest gift. The tears began to flow as I thought of our Savior, sitting in heaven, being worshipped by the angels and saying good-bye to it all to come to a war torn, sin-filled world that would hate Him enough to kill Him. Jesus knew before He ever left heaven that this was the only way. He knew it was not an easy way, but He loved us enough to take that trip and take all that the world could dish out just so that we could be with Him forever. What an amazing love. What a heart wrenching day that must have been for Him when He left the Father for the first time.
It’s such a simple thought really. It's not about the presents, the packages, the bobbles and the bows. It’s one that many people are blessed with understanding right away. But it is one that this Grinch had to learn through tears standing in the middle of a chapel with the song of that silent night. Christmas may be the day that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but is also the day that would begin the journey from heaven to the grave and from the grave to the sky. That is the reason for the season, no matter how bad Santa thinks it is about him.
It’s amazing how God can use something so simple to teach us the greatest of lessons and turn even the heart of this Grinch into a melted puddle of tears and gratitude. Rejoice I say, rejoice, for the Savior did come and He brought with Him the greatest gift of all. And Christmas can truly be the celebration of the start of that journey every day of the year!
Rejoice I say, Rejoice! For it is okay to be a Grinch, just don't forget that even behind it all beats the heart of God! In that fact alone, rejoice!
------------------
Kristi is a self-sacrificing person looking to help the lost find their way into the waiting arms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She lives in Michigan with her ferret, Kudo, and her constant companion, Athur-itis. She is the writer of the daily devotional titled "Fish Food"
Please feel free to pass this devotional along to others as long as you keep the author information intact.
By Kristi
Submitted by Richard
