A Christmas Carol

The leech has two daughters,Give and Give! . . .The grave,The barren womb,The earth that is not satisfied . . .And the fire never [say], “Enough!”

Proverbs 30:15-16 (NKJV)

We are nearing the end of the Proverbs. Instead of a chipper, upbeat theme, we are seeing an almost desperation. God is addressing a selfishness and emptiness that envelops and shadows.

And so on this theme, I’m thinking of that amazing story A Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens. In the story, Ebenezer Scrooge was selfish and harsh. “Give me” was his motto too, but the beauty and power of the story lies in the fact that he was given a second chance. On Christmas Eve he saw all of his life—past, present, and future—parade before him in a dream. He saw that if he did not change, people he could have helped would suffer, and he would die empty and alone. Then he awoke, and he realized he still had time to give and to be a blessing. But the best part of the story is that he did change. The good news was that it wasn’t too late.

What, then, is the lesson for us? Christmas for some is the loneliest time of the year. Maybe you’re feeling lonely and needy yourself. Would you close your eyes for just a moment? Can you think of a Tiny Tim who is needy, the child of a single mom, or an elderly man, or an unloved teenager? It is not too late. Maybe the stores have left the love of Christ out of Christmas, but the good news is, he can use you to put it back in.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

That I may not in blindness grope, but that I may with vision clear

Know when to speak a word of hope, or add a little wholesome cheer.

That tempered winds may softly blow where little children, thinly clad,

Sit dreaming, when the flame is low, of comforts they have never had.

That through the year which lies ahead, no heart shall ache, no cheek be wet,

For any word that I have said or profit I have tried to get.

—S. E. KISER IN “A LITTLE PRAYER”

One Year Bible Reading

Haggai 1:1–2:23; Revelation 11:1-19; Psalm 139:1-24; Proverbs 30:15-16