Calling all curmudgeons. Summoning the sourpusses. Beckoning the bellyachers. Greetings to the grumps and growlers. C’mon all who are crabby complainers. Today is your special day. It’s National Grouch Day! This day has been celebrated since 1976 in honor of Sesame Street resident Oscar the Grouch.
We all know that person who looks like they just woke up and haven’t had their first cup of coffee – and it’s 7:00 p.m. Wishing them a Happy Grouch Day is probably not the best idea. You’ll have to celebrate it for them!
Unfortunately, this kind of personality trait really isn’t something to celebrate. While the grumpy person gets under the skin of just about everyone else, we really ought to feel some sort of empathy for them. Why are they this way? What has happened in their lives to make them so miserable? It’s hard to believe that they were like this as a child or while they were going through school. Something in life made them this way so that their permanent visage looks like the Grumpy Cat memes.
Now, even the best temperaments among us feel grumpy on occasion, sometimes the feeling sneaks up on us without warning or cause. To stay in this condition is less than ideal for the Christian for several reasons.
- Grumpiness seems to be the antithesis to the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” It’s really hard to find a place for grumpiness to fit into that list.
- Grouchy spirits aren’t rejoicing spirits which is what the Lord tells us to have and do. Philippians 4:4 reminds us to “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” When was the last time you saw a rejoicing curmudgeon? The answer is NEVER – unless they are rejoicing over someone else’s failure or pain which points out another major issue in their life besides their crotchetiness.
- Gratitude and a grumpy-tude don’t mesh. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Gratitude and grumpiness cannot cohabitate.
So, if we are reading this and saying, “He’s talking to ME! He wrote this devotional with me in mind,” I can assure you that is not the case. But, I know that most of us including this author have too many moments in life where we get down in the mouth and are consumed with an irritable spirit. It would do us well to remind ourselves that this is not a good look for a Christian and even though a situation may warrant a bit of negativity, the Savior wants us to have faith and look to Him.
Let’s put up some guards to keep our heart attitude sweet and pleasing to God. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
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