“When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” Matthew 2:3

I was recently asked about my favorite Christmas movie. I’ve got a few, but one that’s always in the top three is “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.” What, may you ask, do the Grinch and King Herod have to do with each other? First, they both tried to steal Christmas, but only one was successful. Second, they both recoiled in the face of love, and the difference between the two lies in what they did next.

By the end of his story, the Grinch allowed the love shown by Cindy Lou to be a catalyst for the melting and expansion of his tiny, cold heart. His heart grew three sizes that day, and as he mended fences down in Whoville, the Grinch celebrated with them the love and joy of Christmas. Three cheers for the transforming power of love!

King Herod, however, remained hostile in the face of Love. He was threatened and so disturbed, in fact, that all of Jerusalem was worried about his reaction. He plotted and schemed to find Love and steal it – not so he could celebrate it, but to extinguish it. Later in the story, Herod is even angry enough to murder to get rid of Love.

Capital “L” Love had come to stay forever in the form of baby Jesus, and even an angry and powerful king couldn’t get rid of it. 

How do you respond to love…and Love? Are you suspicious of it? Do you roll your eyes when it’s mentioned or bristle when it comes near, like the Grinch? Does it make you angry, or do you feel threatened by it, like King Herod? Perhaps you’ve been hurt by love before, and you feel you’re better off without it. Love is present all year round, but it often feels nearer during the Christmas season. This time of year isn’t easy for those carrying experiences of loss and hurt, but Love is waiting with open arms, ready and willing to melt and expand our hearts. Three cheers for the transforming power of Love!

Take a quiet moment–before you begin your day or even if you’ve already begun– and ask Love to be close. It’s His season, after all!