Having That Ebenezer Moment

I recently got the chance to view the new Disney film A Christmas Carol and was surprised that Disney finally got it right. They stuck to the original classic tale by Charles Dickens only adding in some amazing 3D special effects to make this movie a sure fire Christmas classic. I was also surprised to find out my 10 year old nephew already knew the story of Scrooge before we sank ourselves into those plush seats with our new fangled 3D shades.

Ebenezer Scrooge is a callous old miser who receives some uninvited guests on Christmas Eve night: the ghosts of past, present, and future. They each remind Scrooge of how cold hearted he really was and still is. These haunting visits help Scrooge see the error of his ways as he is spooked into changing himself as a person and begins to open his heart to others.

Once in awhile it is good for each of us to have an Ebenezer moment. No, I'm not talking about being visited by the ghosts of our past. Revisiting our past does sound scary though, doesn't it? An Ebenezar moment is about being reminded of who we were and where we were and to what we've now become or at least hope to be. Some of the hardships we may have gone through in our pasts have prepared us for the future. And those mistakes we've made can be used to relate to those who may be dealing with that same issue here in the present. Our greatest testimony to others is simply sharing our past and what God may have brought you out of.

I believe God places Ebenezer moments in our life to remind us of what He did for us in the past, where He brought us from, and what He can do for us today. A couple of weeks ago I had a couple of hard core days at work where I was overwhelmed with many projects to fulfill. I was dragging myself home too tired to do any of my extra curricular projects, so I naturally became upset. Then one day at work God simply smacked me in the head with the reminder of all those less fortunate who have no job, and the times I struggled finding the right job. I then began to feel blessed and started thanking Him for being overwhelmed with work.

If an Ebenezer moment comes your way accept it with gratitude. It's only a reminder of how great God is.