According to the story, Ebenezer Scrooge woke up as a new man on Christmas. His heart was filled with regret that he had turned into the love of his fellow man. He is filled with joy instead of bitterness. His actions are generous and not miserly. His life was dramatically different. 

I wonder, if you knew Scrooge before that day and then saw him afterward, how would you feel toward him? Would you be happy with this change or skeptical of its genuineness? Would you forgive his past actions and let him start over without harboring anger? Would you offer forgiveness and open your heart up to his new lifestyle? 

While the story is fiction, people can and do change. They find Jesus and make enormous adjustments in their life. Some people who walk with Jesus discover they are not following his will and make changes. Still, others make mistakes and ask for your forgiveness when they know they don’t deserve it.

It is easy to love the story of a changed life, and it is far more complicated to live with the person doing the change.

Scrooge wakes up with a soft heart after Christmas and becomes a changed man. If we are not careful, we can hold all our built-up hurt and frustration against him and become the old Scrooge in our hearts.