If you’ve been here for a while you might know that I love the story A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I have read the book many times and have seen every version of the movie. I watch the movies over and over again and I usually begin around Thanksgiving .
So, this morning I was watching the Disney version with Jim Carrey and I had a new thought.
Isn’t it interesting that when the ghosts start visiting Ebeneezer that they begin with his childhood. Of course it makes sense chronologically to go past present and future but it made me think about some things differently about looking outward to serve others.
We are instructed over and over again to study the scriptures, meditate, pray, build a relationship with God. All of those things are personal. They are all things that might help us look inward and see what are the things we need to be improving aobut ourselves. It could feel a little selfish.
But look what happens to Ebeneezer when he has the opportunity to look back. He see the beginnings of the bitterness and he sees the people who were so kind to him at the same time. In the present he sees the people around him who are having joyful times regardless of their circumstances and sees what he is missing out on by holding onto the bitterness and anger. And when he sees the possible future he begins to desire a different life where he is surrounded by people who love him.
Now of course change can be a difficult thing when we are in the habit of drawing inward and it could be easy to look at this and say there is no way that Mr Scrooge could change so dramatically in just one night but I wonder…What if we had God on our side? What if we included Him in our plan to for expansion into bigger love? What if we focused on that goal every day several times a day and asked God to help and then responded quickly to the feeling or desire for more closeness to someone?
Self reflection is an amazing thing and we are told in the scriptures that God shows us our weaknesses so that weak things can become strong.
27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their aweakness. I bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my cgrace is sufficient for all men that dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make eweak things become strong unto them.
Ether 12:27
I’m ready to become better. I’m ready to look at myself in a way that helps me not skip over the difficult things but to use those things to become better and more like Jesus Christ every single day. How about you? Let’s make 2022 our year of living a more Christlike life without having to have ghosts visit us throughout the night.
Always Choose Charity 