Grinchy People

Grinchy People

Bible Blast: Read Proverbs 22:24-25

A quick-tempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated. Proverbs 14:17 (NIV)

Oh, that Mr. Grinch! (Maybe you’ve seen the movie or read the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas.) What do we do with a dude like him? He’s green and kind of fuzzy-ish, hates Christmas, steals from nice people, and is really, really angry. Dr. Seuss wrote funny words about Mr. Grinch that were eventually made into a song. They describe the Grinch perfectly. He’s foul and nasty wasty. He’s compared to unwashed socks, and apparently his soul is full of gunk. Three words describe him: “Stink, stank, stunk!”

Some people are like Mr. Grinch. They’re just angry. They look angry. They act angry. They say angry words and do angry things, and they seem to get angrier when other people are not angry. Whew! That’s a lot of anger! I met up with one of these angry people on vacation not too long ago. He was so mean that he kicked someone else out of the chair she’d been sitting in for one hour. And then he made someone who worked there come clean the chair because he thought the person who was in it was dirty. I’m not kidding. I’ve never seen anything like it except in movies, but this was real!

When someone is in the middle of being really mad about something, the best thing to do is get out of the way. (Like the person in that chair did!) You can’t talk to someone who’s acting like that because he’s not thinking clearly. His head is too full of “anger stuff” to have room for the truth.

And guess what? If you try to argue with someone who’s angry, it makes that person more angry. It’s like when you have a campfire. If the flame is burning pretty well but someone wants it to be bigger, she tosses more dry wood onto it. The fire immediately grows. Anger is a lot like fire. It’s best to step back until the flames die down.

If you’re ever afraid because someone near you is having an anger fit, try to leave the room and pray for that person. Ask God to send his Spirit like water to put out that anger fire.

Girl Gab: Try to write your own verse to the Mr. Grinch song. You could even write one for after he becomes nice and learns to love Christmas. For example, “You’re a nice one, Mr. Grinch! You’re as smiley as a clown!” Share your verse with your mom, and have a good laugh together. If you know someone whose anger makes you nervous, talk to your mom about it. Be honest with her, and ask her to pray with you.