OK.. I’m at the part where Scrooge peers into the grave, has the epiphany and goes and buys the big honking goose. Christmas bells ring, everyone lives happily every after. Merry Christmas to us all, Mr. Scrooge!
I wish life was that simple sometimes. But it’s not.
We don’t get Christmas ghosts. But we do get really bad, nasty events in our lives. And I can tell you, it can give Jacob Marley and his pals a run for their money in the wake-up call department.
(Most days I’d prefer Bob Marley.)
Tough times challenge you. They can break you. You feel like your spirit is like a crumbling seawall,getting hit by wave after wave. Who you are is never challenged during the good times. It’s when the crap comes raining down is when our character is revealed.
Getting beat over the head by life is as close to a Christmas ghost as we’ll get. The trick is, will we change when we face our challenge? Change is hard.Most people would flip the third ghost off and get pushed into the grave. Scrooge’s transformation is rare to say the least.
A very wise friend of mine is going through tough times. I got a bit of advice today from her that put everything in perspective: You have to change. As hard as it is, you have to make the effort to change the future by not repeating the past.
No, we don’t get three ghosts. But we get challenges ad good people who help us see our mistakes and provide ways to solve them.
That’s a Christmas miracle in its own right. And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!