Following the Christmas Program at church my husband and I took our grandchildren to a local international eatery so that we could try their newest seasonal sensation—Grinch pancakes.
The green tinted hotcakes drizzled with cream cheese icing, sprinkled with red candy hearts and crowned with a dollop of creamy green whipped topping was ever so yummy…so sweet and delicious.
The Bible tells us to taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)
In the story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas the Grinch started out as anything but good. There was nothing sweet nor delicious about the Grinch. He was a Mean One and referred to as a heel that is as cuddly as a cactus and as charming as an eel…the king of sinful sots and splotched with moldy, purple spots.
The Grinch had a shriveled heart and he hated Christmas. He devised a wonderful evil plan to stop Christmas from coming; to stamp out the joy of the residents living in Who-ville. His plan was to steal Christmas.
Taking every gift and every bit of food in every house, the Grinch was quite pleased with himself. On Christmas morning the Grinch stared down from his mountain expecting to hear disappointing cries, but instead, he saw something very different. He looked onto the town with its warm-lighted windows and saw people singing! He hadn’t stopped Christmas at all.
The Grinch was likely seeing the warm glow of Christ in the hearts of the people. After all, he concluded, “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more.”
The story of the Grinch is a redemption story. It shows how God can transform the heart of a mean-rotten soul and turn it into something new. Maybe you’re not mean and rotten, but we are all sinful sots with splotchy moldy spots.
Christmas is all about a baby named Jesus who came to earth as the King of kings to save us from our sinful ways so that we might experience eternal joy found only through Jesus.
The Grinch got a taste of the Lord and his heart grew three sizes!
On our way home, after tasting and eating delicious Grinch pancakes, we played a fun game. We each took a turn describing something in the vehicle for the others to guess what was being described. I told the kids there was something green that couldn’t be seen. Macy said, “It’s invisible!?”
The item I was referring to was the one lone green-tinted pancake hidden in the to-go box lying in the seat next to me. Macy however…she guessed I was talking about God!
Now I don’t believe God to be green but, I was thrilled that Macy’s first thought was of God. She has learned enough Bible verses and heard enough bits and pieces about the Immanuel Quilt, that in hearing two common words: unseen and invisible, her thoughts were of God.
Macy’s statement made me wonder: Are we spending enough time in God’s Word to put Him first? Are we able to recognize the work of the unseen God in our lives? The more time we spend getting to know Jesus—is the more love, joy, and peace that will swell our hearts bigger.
We could all stand to let our hearts grow another three sizes. So go ahead…taste and see that the Lord is good! It’s how the Grinch found Christ!
Dear Lord,
May my first thoughts always be of you. In Jesus Name, Amen.