The Arizona Department of Public Safety recently released news that a Phoenix motorist was given a citation for illegally using the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane. The HOV lane requires at least one passenger besides the driver to be able to use the lane. The motorist in question, however, wasn’t riding with a real passenger but rather an inflatable Grinch. An Arizona state trooper pulled over the motorist after noticing the odd fact that the passenger appeared to be green.
As funny as the story might be, it is a good reminder to check who is “riding” with us this Advent and Christmas. Some of us might have to admit that we might have a Grinch in our soul’s passenger seat, and that Grinch might be making us look more like him. Perhaps it is worthwhile to ask someone if we have been found “as cuddly as a cactus” or “as charming as an eel.” Perhaps you’ve found that this Christmas that your heart is just two sizes too small.
That Grinch that rides with us is the leftovers of our original sin. The theological term for it is “concupiscence,” the desire and will to sin. Often all we have to do is to look over into the passenger seat and we see concupiscence’s green skin and termite-ridden smile. That concupiscence nauseates us with a nauseous super “naus”.
But Jesus came to rid us of that passenger. He came to kick the Grinch out of our souls and get our hearts to grow to full size. So the next time you notice that rotter in your soul, tell him to get out, because you are going to be making room for a real passenger, your Lord Jesus Christ.