December 2023
Sharing The Light
The Scrooge in All of Us
In Charles Dickens’ story, A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is a wretched man, to be sure. He was unkind, unforgiving, unloving, and unwilling to accept love or kindness from others. Consequently, he lived a life filled with darkness and loneliness. That is, until his former and deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, visited him on Christmas Eve to warn him of the future that awaited him should he continue on his current path.
That fateful and life-changing night of visits from Christmases Past, Present, and Future changed him as he was shown his past and present mistakes and was given a singular opportunity to alter his future. In essence, Ebenezer was shown the light! For the first time in a very long time, he could see goodness in others and himself and he set out immediately to change his ways and overcome the ills of his previous life.
So, too, were the shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem shown the light when the heavens opened “and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:9–10). Jesus was born and with Him came all the light everyone would ever need!
Perhaps all of us have had a little Scrooge in us at times. Perhaps we all have been unwilling to forgive or have been unkind to those around us. And, perhaps, we have all suffered from lonely walks in darkness. We need only recall His words and choose to follow:
“I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Be of good cheer and embrace the Light of the World!
With Appreciation,
