The Ghost of Christmas present grew older as the day wore on. Scrooge noticed this and remarked to the Ghost about it.
“My life upon this globe is very brief,” replied the Ghost. “It ends tonight.”
The Ghost had but twenty-four hours in the present day, and his actions and what he showed Scrooge, therefore, must have been carefully thought out. Even though the Ghost transported Scrooge to many places, a Ghost can’t do everything he wants, can he? We should not be surprised that the Ghost visits the Cratchits and the Nephew. We may also see the value in the lighthouse and the ship at sea, the sick bed and the jail. Nevertheless, choices were made; places were omitted; and Scrooge was denied some scenes that might have continued to work on his heart.
We don’t feel the urgency of the Ghost. For while our present day—this day, in fact, while you read—contains twenty-four hours as well, we all assume, we’ll get tomorrow’s allotment as well. What kid, when given a quarter, won’t run off and spend it, when he knows in his heart that he’ll get another one tomorrow.
I’ve had over 19,000 tomorrows show up as expected. Is there any wonder that I have developed a sense of entitlement to another twenty-four hours? Is there any wonder that my sense of urgency is less developed than the Ghost’s? And while this entitlement can lead to laziness and apathy in some, let us not overcorrect and fall into the other ditch. Let us not assume that it’s all up to us, today.
Instead, let us begin each day asking God to show us what he has for us today. And then let us, by the power of his Spirit working in us, seek to be obedient to his calling for today.
Lingering Over Leaves 