In Charles Dicken’s classic, “A Christmas Carol”, we see the transformation of a man named Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge was a crabby, stingy boss who resented giving Bob Cratchit the day off for the Christmas holiday. When others wished him a “Merry Christmas”, Scrooge would say with a growl, “Bah Humbug!” When he was asked to give to the poor, Scrooge coldly responded, “Let them die and decrease the surplus population!” Scrooge was a mean miser who made others miserable.

At the end of the film, we see a different man. Scrooge gets a glimpse of his future and sees the awful consequences of his tight fistedness. His lack of sympathy for the downtrodden would cost him his soul. He begs the Ghost of Christmas Future for a chance to change his ways. When Scrooge is awakened from the vision, he is overjoyed that he has the opportunity to change the direction of his life. Scrooge, from that point on, always kept the spirit of Christmas in his heart.

Mal Gibson is pastor at First Baptist Church and wrote this article as a member of the Fayette County Ministerial Association.