Drab to Fab or Confronting the Grinch Within

Drab to fab

or

Confronting the Grinch within

            Winter signaled its arrival some time during the night, adorning everything it touched with a thin coat of frost. Denuded tree branches, once so stark and gnarly, shimmer like jewels under the soft, winter sun. The meadow, so arid after summer’s drought, now glistens like a coffer full of jewels. The ground crunches underfoot as I take my black Lab for a walk through the woods behind our house. Winter has come to call, at least for a season.

            Even though the air is crisp and my toes are cold, my soul is warmed by God’s soft whisper of love. All around me is evidence of God’s transforming power; what seemed so drab yesterday has been changed by his gentle touch – drab to fab.

            I can’t help but think of the transformations God brought to the dark moments in Mary and Joseph’s lives: an unconventional pregnancy; talk of a quiet divorce; broken hearts; a Roman Emperor with sudden whims; a pregnant teenager on an arduous donkey ride; a dim stable with cattle as birthing coaches; hay for bedding and a manger for a cradle.

            Yet God transforms this dark, dismal situation into his most jaw-dropping act of wonder; God is born to the world. Rather than mailing birth announcements, God sends singing telegrams, in the form of angels, to proclaim the good news. Shepherds show up, unannounced, to worship before the King of Kings, then run off to gab about it to anyone and everyone who will listen to their fabulous story. A star, unlike any other,s hangs in the night sky above a tiny town called Bethlehem. Astronomers come knocking at the door, bringing belated gifts for the baby shower, then bow down and worship the long-awaited Messiah.

            My mind ruminates on all these things as I walk through this winter wonderland, and slowly my morose spirit begins to melt like the frost on the trees. God speaks to my soul, reminding me that Christmas isn’t about me. It’s about his incredible gift of love. It’s about God bringing fab to the drab, light to the darkness, hope to the hopeless and joy the sorrowing.

            So today, I’m confronting the Grinch within. I’ve told him to pack his bags and vacate the premises because I’ve much to do; cookies to bake, a tree to trim, cards to write, a manger scene to set up, a Christmas village to pull out of storage and stockings to hang on the mantle.

            It’s time to put some fab into this Christmas season; both inside and out.