The holiday season seems
somehow to bring out the best and the worst in people.
Aren’t we all
inspired by the heartwarming stories of folks giving secret surprises or
performing extra-mile helps to brighten the lives of others at Christmastime?
We love to hear
about someone dropping a solid gold bar or a diamond ring into a charity
bell ringer’s bucket outside a busy shopping mall.
We may even tear up to see a
news story about a long-lost prodigal returning home to a warm welcome and
reconciled relationship.
On the other hand, Christmas
can make people downright crabby.
I’ve been there. I’ve
been the crabber and the crabbed. Recently, I faced an in-your-face reminder of
this curious holiday phenomenon.
Finishing up at the
checkout counter of a local store, I caught the lady behind me huffing and
puffing and groaning. "Could you just hurry up?" she growled at the cheery
cashier and me, as we exchanged a quick holiday pleasantry.
I turned and
glanced at the impatient customer, realizing then that this was the same lady I
had seen a few moments earlier in another department, struggling to pull an
item off a wall rack. I had set down my stuff to help her untangle and remove
the things she wanted.
"Are you
looking for one of these, too?" she'd asked.
"Nope, just saw you needed an extra hand
or two," I'd replied.
I'm not sure she
connected the dots in the checkout line. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered.
Just before I left, I leaned in to
whisper to the long-suffering checkout clerk, "Be extra nice to the lady behind me. She's
probably had a rough day."
And I meant it. The
lamenting lady likely had a long list of tasks to accomplish before her day was
over. Maybe she’d faced a personal tragedy. Possibly, a nagging health
condition made her uncomfortable and irritable.
Or it could be she
was just feeling a little crabby at Christmastime.
God only knows.
Perhaps we’ve all
had grouchy, Grinchy days. We’ve all had folks step ahead of us in crowds, pull
into our chosen parking spots, or even confront us rudely for no apparent
reason.
If we
say that we have no sin,
we
deceive ourselves,
and
the truth is not in us.
(1
John 1:8, KJV)
Frustration is part
of the human condition in a fallen world, isn’t it?
Perhaps we’ve all
encountered folks who shocked us, in our own grumpiest moments, by treating us
kindly.
All I know is this: Each of
us can only choose our own actions and reactions.
None of us has to
absorb the anxious, aggressive, or antagonistic attitudes of those around us. And
others need not take on our occasional testiness, either.
If you love those who love you,
what reward will you get?
(Matthew 5:46a, NIV)
After all, what’s the end
result of a knee-jerk response? Who becomes the jerk?
In His mercy, God
often nudges our spirits to prompt us to stop and step back. Only then do we
stand a chance of considering a gentler way, instead of a quick comeback or a
quiet seething.
And
be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted,
forgiving
one another,
even
as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
(Ephesians
4:32, KJV)
That’s grace. But
it can be hard – so hard.
Oh, baby, we’re a long way
from biblical Bethlehem.
Even so, come, Lord
Jesus. In the meantime, help us to stop embarrassing You when we’re feeling a
little moody, especially while preparing to celebrate Your birthday.
Image/s:
Salvation Army Bell Ringer by Dwight Burnette
Creative Commons Licensing Photos
Store Checkout
US Navy photo by Journalist
2nd Class Jim Williams
US Government Photo/public
domain
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