“And God said, ‘It is not good for man to be alone . . .”

Christmas is SUCH a glorious time! I LOVE it! The darkness and lights, the snow and the cold; the festivities and food; the family and friends; the music and movies. Yes, maybe especially the movies. Chevy Chase in “Christmas Vacation”; little Ralphie in “A Christmas Story”; “It’s a Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart; “A Christmas Carol” and old Ebenezeer Scrooge; and my personal favorite . . . “The Grinch”.

As a kid I watched the old classic cartoon. When the Jim Carrey version came out I watched it with my kids. After my grandson was born I watched it with him. He called it “The Grink”. And this year I went with him to watch the NEW version which was much lighter and brighter! It was a far friendlier Grinch. As I sat watching the movie I was reminded that the reason the Grinch was so unpleasant was that he was alone! It’s a common theme at Christmas time. George Bailey ends up isolated, or isolating himself. Clark Griswold feels alone and unappreciated, not only by his family but by his boss as well! Ebenezeer Scrooge was the worst of the bunch. His self-imposed exile drove him nearly over the edge. I wonder if Charles Dickens was writing in a somewhat autobiographical version. Was he alone when he wrote that classic? Or was it that he knew people who were alone? I’ve known my share! Haven’t you?

There are so many people that don’t have anyone. So many people who have experienced tragic loss, be it of loved ones, jobs or even parts of themselves. These are the people that the prophet had in mind when he spoke of those “sitting in darkness”. These are the people who are descending into dementia or are suffering from some other sort of debilitating disease. These are the people who have lost themselves, lost purpose in life and therefore have lost hope.

I pause to consider all the people I’ve known in life like this. And now I pause to think of a time when I was one of “those” people. It was the first Christmas after my divorce. For as much as I love this season, that year I had a very difficult time celebrating. Even though I was surrounded by those I loved, I had a hollow place in my life, and was hurting. I remember listening to the song, “Where Are You Christmas?” sung by Faith Hill and crying. I look back on that time and wonder who and where I was. I was lost. To everyone except God.

I truly believe that God doesn’t leave us alone. He sends us, not just George Bailey, angels to minister us. Most frequently they come in human form, but not always. God sends us love packaged in a variety of ways. And God sends us hope in the person of His Son, whose birth we do our best to celebrate. I really, really believe this!

This time of year can be sad and depressing for those who are suffering loss, or trying to celebrate by themselves. During my pastoring years I used to dream of ditching the traditional Christmas eve services and instead going to bars to find the people sitting there who were doing their best to drown their sorrows with drink. I think in many ways that would’ve been more “God pleasing”, more beneficial to God’s beloved people and a better use of my time. Maybe I’ll do that this year! Even if I don’t do that I hope that I can emulate little Cindy Lou Who and seek out someone who is living a Grinch-like life and embrace them and replace their isolation with a genuine Who-bilation. I hope if you’re one of “those” persons God sends you someone like that. Or if you’re not, that God sends you to be that person for others.