The Grinch Proves True

A childhood Christmas favorite of mine was watching the Jim Carrey version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas multiple times between Thanksgiving and Christmas, laughing along to catchy songs and witty lines.

I actually still practice this tradition. I nearly drove my brother crazy during our childhood, and now I nearly drive my husband nuts. Hey, it's tradition!

I remember the first time I saw How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It was December in 2000, and my mom and I went out on a mother/daughter date. We went to a theatre in Topeka, and it was packed. I laughed so hard I choked on popcorn, and my mom laughed so hard she had tears rolling down her cheeks.

I can quote every line, impersonate all the voices, and laugh every time I watch the movie. I actually wore a VHS out and eventually begged my mom to invest in a DVD version of the Dr. Seuss classic.

But never has the theme of The Grinch impacted me as much as it did this year.

Last night, after my first Christmas apart from my parents but my first Christmas with my Idaho parents, I fell asleep watching The Grinch, snuggled up next to my husband. But also for the first time, I was crying, not laughing.

The Grinch figured it out, and I find myself in total agreement. Take away all the presents, all the fancy dinners and traditions, and Christmas comes anyway.

"'It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags!' And he puzzled. And puzzled. And puzzled some more. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. 'Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.'"

It's not about the presents. It's not about the food. It's about being with family, with people, in fellowship.

But Dr. Seuss missed one detail, though: it's also about Christ, and Idaho church services richly blessed my heart today as they celebrated the gift of Jesus.

Without writing a short novel, I'll simply say the people of Weippe Wesleyan Church and Eternal Hope Wesleyan Church are walking hands and feet of Christ, and I love them dearly. The Blains, my wonderful in-laws, are the walking hands and feet of Christ, and I love them dearly, too.

We took communion at Eternal Hope today, and I simply wept. There are moments when I am utterly homesick and find myself angry at God for bringing Josh and I 1,800 miles from my family, but there are also moments when I am so sure of God's call that I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Today, that peace settled in my heart. While Idaho may not be home to me now, and quite honestly might never be, Bethlehem wasn't home to Jesus, either. And yet he came. Who am I to be angry at God?

Christmas frenzies are stressful, and they drudge up a lot of emotion, but shouldn't they? After all, I'm sure there was a lot of emotion stirring in a little stall in Bethlehem and at the Father's throne when Jesus came to this earth in the form of a baby to bring the world a Savior.

In the words of The Grinch, "I'm feeling!"

And this Christmas will forever be cherished.

Dr. Seuss, you got something very right.