Putting Our Shadow Where it Belongs...

My family has a tradition of watching National Lampoons Christmas Vacation around Christmas time, and if you haven't seen it I recommend checking it out at least once.  Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't, all depends on your personal tastes.  This isn't a review, I have another blog for that.  This is more about what occurred to me as I viewed the film.

The central character is Clark Griswald, a loving father and husband who works very hard to provide for his family, and in general a very kind man.  While some of his kindness is begruding, its still there amid the complaining.  He could easily give into his own selfishness on multiple occasions but he pushes through because at his core he's a good person.

His major character flaw is a sense of entitlement he has.  He wants the best for his family, and a major plot point revolves around his expected Christmas bonus.  He feels entitled to this extra money at the end of the calender year and has, in fact, already spent it.  This character flaw actually bothered me when I first viewed the film, this weird sense of entitlement, that he deserves something he didn't earn.  It took me a while to figure out why it hit me son close to home and why it was so terribly irritating.  Its because it reminded me of...me.

I know a lot of my generation, myself included, struggles with that sense of entitlement, and most psychologist will tell you that you get irritated with negative traits people posses that remind you of yourself, because deep down we don't like facing our own faults, our personal darkness.

However facing our flaws is essential to our spiritual growth.  Our flaws don't define us, but because we spend time dwelling on them we think they do.  Our flaws, rather, are a road map to get closer to God.

Things like entitlement are very childish.  In the film Griswald throws a temper tantrum and in our weaker moments we do to.  Our selfishness leads to anger and disappointment when we don't get what we want and when we let that dictate our moods we become as children, without control of our emotions.  Look at 1st Corinthians 11-13 "11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known."

A mirror darkly.  That selfish child we have lying inside us, that is our dark, sinful self.  We have to examine ourselves, not to wallow in self effacing guilt but to overcome the part of us that holds us back from God.  Turn away from that sinful you, turn to the light of God.  When you know your darkness and push it behind you, not within you but behind you, you face the light of God.

Let us help each other to make this a year of renewal, and show that through is this world can know the love of Jesus.

Thank you for reading, and God bless you.