Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? – Luke 15:4 (NIV)
Have you ever felt sad, hurt, or depressed? Maybe it was due to not getting the job you applied for, financial stressors, or difficult family relationships. There is so much in our world that can cause us to feel this way.
This is how the Grinch felt for most of his life in Jim Carrey’s portrayal of the Grinch In How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). Dr Seuss never tells us who the Grinch’s biological parents are, but in the film, we know he had been adopted into a Who family. The Whos are a group of people who live happy and joyous lives, but growing up, the Grinch knew something was different about himself, and he did not share the same excitement as every other Who—probably because he was born with a heart two sizes too small. He felt like he did not belong with the Whos. So, he isolated himself and moved to Mount Crumpit, where he became bitter, and lonely, living by himself with his dog, Max.
COURAGE OF ONE
Until one day, a little girl named Cindy Lou climbs up to Mount Crumpit to invite the Grinch to the annual Whoville celebration. The courage of Cindy Lou reminds me of Luke 15:4–6 which says, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shouldersand goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.”
In this parable, a sheep herder loses one sheep from the group, but instead of saying “That’s okay, I still have 99,” he goes after the lost one to bring it back.
THINKING ABOUT THE ONE
This is what Jesus does for each of us. We were sinners and strayed away from the path God had for us, but Jesus came down to die on the cross so that he could save each one of us even though we did not deserve it. It was a gift, freely given. He always comes in search of us—each one—wanting to bring us back to his fold.
Cindy Lou did the same thing for the Grinch. All the Whos in Whoville wrote the Grinch off and did not worry about him because they were a part of the 99, but Cindy Lou was thinking about the one. Because of her doing so, we see the Grinch’s life changed. He returns to Whoville, no longer living in isolation with hurt or depression. He has other people surrounding him, and so his small heart grows three sizes.
Reflect: Who is the Grinch in your life? How might God be asking you to allow him to heal and grow both of your hearts?
