Tiny Tim, Scrooge, or Marley… Which One Are You?

I’m sure we all know the story of A Christmas Carol. Even if you don’t know Charles Dickens’ story, you’ve probably seen a version of it.

There’s the Muppet version, the Mickey Mouse version, there’s a Bill Murray version… The list goes on and on.  It is probably one of the most recognizable and retold Christmas stories.

If you have read the book or watched any of the movies based on it, you’ll know that there are lessons we can learn from the story. But there’s one character that I think is often overlooked and from whom we should learn an important lesson.

Let’s compare three of the characters from the story:

Tiny Tim-  Tiny Tim is the ailing son of Bob and Emily Cratchit.  While the book is not specific about what ailment Tiny Tim has, we learn that he is so ill that if untreated, he will die. 

Despite his difficult circumstances, Tim is able to keep a positive attitude.  Being kind to others and compassionate towards those in his family and around him. His family describes him as patient. His famous line, “God bless us, everyone!” shows that he has empathy and thinks about others.

In short, Tiny Tim could be described as positive in spite of his circumstances.

Scrooge- Scrooge is a miserly, unpleasant man who despises Christmas and is known for being covetous, secret, and self-contained. He treats his staff poorly, underpaying his clerk, Bob Cratchit, and hounding his debtors. He is also known for being joyless and living cheaply in the chambers of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. 

We all know that Scrooge was an angry, negative, joyless person. 

So much so that his last name, “Scrooge,” has become a common word for someone negative, stingy, and lacking happiness.

Jacob Marley- Marley is Scrooge's former business partner and closest friend. He returns to warn Scrooge of the consequences of greed and to show him what he could become if he doesn't change. Marley's presence sets in motion events that lead to Scrooge's transformation.

Marley is weighed down by heavy chains made of cashboxes, padlocks, ledgers, and other items he valued in life. The chains symbolize the emotional and moral burdens he carries and the consequences of his greed.

Marley was just as negative as Scrooge but never took the chance to reflect on and change his attitude.

So, what does this have to do with us?

When was the last time you checked in on yourself? Spent a moment considering your default attitude?

If we aren’t careful, we can all slip toward the trend of seeing the negative.  Like Scrooge, we can get overly concerned with what we have, how to keep it, etc.

Certainly, the best-case scenario and the goal for our lives should be that we are most like Tiny Tim.  That despite our circumstances and what we are facing, we can maintain a positive attitude.

That, like Tiny Tim, we would think of others and their needs.  Always striving to be positive, kind, and compassionate.

But I imagine that many of us (myself included) tend to trend more negatively.  It’s easy to get caught up in worry or frustration in our circumstances.

This time of year, we stress about money. If we aren’t careful, we can become overprotective of what we have and greedy.  With that comes the desire for more. 

At our worst, we want to accumulate as much as we can and give out as little as we have to.  Not always.  But, if we’re honest with ourselves, this is a struggle that is common to all of us.

We need to be careful that we don’t start operating like Scrooge.  Or the worst- Jacob Marley.

See, I think an overlooked part of the Christmas Carol story is that Scrooge had an opportunity to change.  It took quite a bit of convincing, but eventually, he saw the error in his ways and made changes to correct himself.

Jacob Marley never got that chance.  In the story, he died a stingy, negative, hateful person. And he was bound to his negativity and greed forever.

Now, certainly, the being bound forever part of Marley’s death is just part of the story.  As believers in Jesus, we don’t have to fear an eternal torment of our poor decisions.

But the lesson remains the same:  Will you take a moment to envision where your attitude is taking you?  If you don’t like the way your future might play out, will you do something about it?

We use the term scrooge to describe someone negative and focused only on themselves, and with good reason. 

But don’t overlook the fact that Scrooge got it right in the end.

We all have a chance, every day, to take inventory of our attitudes and our thoughts and make changes if we need to.

One of the best ways to do this is to think of others, serve someone other than yourself, and celebrate the blessings you do have with your community.

This Christmas:  Don’t be Marley.  If you’re Scrooge… try to think more like Tiny Tim.

God bless us, everyone.