The Transformation of a Bah-humbug

Where does one find comfort amid the hardships of day-to-day living? Perhaps there is something in Tiny Tim’s innocent observation, “God bless us, every one,” that iconic message of hope and confidence that points the way through the disheartening moments of gloominess.

Many succumb to a bah-humbug mood during the Christmas season. It’s a contagious response to the plethora of holiday activities as they overwhelm, and even deaden our sensibilities. Or others might be experiencing debilitating sadness and depression caused by loneliness, ill health or unemployment. The sharp contrast between the resulting anguish and the desired joy of the season is a recipe for tension.

An old tale of transformation, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, resonates in today’s culture. Set against the backdrop of Victorian England, the Christmas favorite immerses the reader in images of darkness and despair only to be liberated by the light of healing and restoration.

Mr. Bah-humbug himself, Ebenezer Scrooge, undergoes an evolution from miserliness and indifference to generosity and compassion. His metamorphose underscores the need for a mental makeover, a refocus of thought and energy from a worldly stance to something greater than himself.

“Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Paul’s advice in the Bible is a good indicator of the soulful change required of us when life seems dim. And it’s an adjustment we are capable of achieving. Paul’s real life, like Scrooge’s fictional one, shows the promise of redemption through correcting the mistaken priorities we entertain. Misconceptions about what success really is do not have to be perpetual and new avenues leading to happiness and health can be discovered.

“As a material, theoretical life-basis is found to be a misapprehension of existence, the spiritual and divine Principle of man dawns upon human thought, and leads it to “where the young child was,” — even to the birth of a new-old idea, to the spiritual sense of being and of what Life includes,” according to Mary Baker Eddy, who also experienced a spiritual reawakening. She concludes, “Thus the whole earth will be transformed by Truth on its pinions of light, chasing away the darkness of error.”

At Christmas we are lead to contemplate “where the young child was.” Our hopes and desires can reveal the ever-presence of love, uncover the permanence of peace, and unearth our own happiness in the light of God, good. A more secure sense of well-being is the result.

When pondering where to find the joy and contentment we might find so elusive, taking up Tiny Tim’s promise can be the catalyst for change: “God bless us, every one.” That includes you.

Steven Salt is a writer and blogger covering health, spirituality and thought. He is a Christian Science practitioner, curious about everything. You can follow him on Twitter @SaltSeasoned.