parable | ˈperəb(ə)l |

noun

a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels.

ORIGIN

Middle English: from Old French parabole, from an ecclesiastical Latin sense ‘discourse, allegory’ of Latin parabola ‘comparison’, from Greek parabolē (see parabola).

I’ve decided that I will coin a term for my blog, harrable, a combination of Harry and parable. Basically the plan is to use this term to label life experiences which the Lord has turned into teaching stories for me like He used parables in scripture to teach the disciples and all of us who came after. You may very well decide to take and adapt this term with the beginning letters of your first name like bobrable, bilrable, sarrable, or whatever suits your fancy. I’m sure that your life experiences are being turned into teaching stories, if for no one else, for yourself, your friends, and your family.

The first harrable I wish to share is a Christmas story, since it is the season. 

I don’t know when it started, but I determined to hate Christmas. It must have been a long time ago because I don’t remember a time in which I didn’t hate Christmas. I’ve seen the pictures and movies of me and my family when I was small. It seemed that I might have loved it then, but I may have only been in the greed of the season. I know that my parents loved Christmas and did everything to make the season as joyful as possible. They were thoughtful gift givers and generous people who loved to celebrate and wrap the family up in all the joyful experiences of the season, including, and especially church. 

About the age of twelve or thirteen, I decided on being an athiest and rejected church. Christmas and Easter were about the only times my parents could get me to go. Maybe it was during this time that Christmas became unpleasant because I had become so unpleasant. Athiesm didn’t work out for me. Jesus is too real and overcame every argument, internal and external, which justified not believing. 

However, becoming a Christian did not take away my Christmas frustration. I saw every negative aspect of Christmas and overlooked the positives. I saw that it was the season of the most suicides during the year, but did not see that more people were being helped on the streets. I could see the financial and emotional depression caused by overspending and unmet expectations, but could not see all the drives by some rough bikers and other unexpected groups to provide generously to those who would receive nothing. My selective hearing and seeing caused Christmas to be a dark place. I went from pronouncing my frustration to everyone to finally trying to stay out of everyone’s way so as not to interrupt their Christmas.

The day of reckoning finally arrived through divine insight. I heard the thought in my prayers, “Well, Harry, are you happy now?” It was Christmas season, and I was edging toward the annual gloom. Why would I be happy? The inner thought continued, “You have finally become all that you hate about Christmas.” My years of bad attitude and self serving, self imposed frustration finally stood on stage in my mind and heart as though all the spotlights had found the performer who had been hiding behind the props. There I was in the glaring light. Nothing to hide behind, my attitude, the way I twisted my experience, the thoughtlessness I had placed on others, the demands I had made on others through my temperamental moods were devastatingly clear and obvious. It wasn’t about what Christmas was to me or to anyone else. It was who I was to be during Christmas or any other season of life. Christmas didn’t have to please me. It was my job to be the person I believed I was supposed to be. 

That divine revelation shook my insides. I had been carrying a lot of trash for a long time. My repentence was real, but I wondered if it would be enough after all this time, with all the baggage. My perspective took a massive change. The change opened a world which had been around me all the time. I began to see all that I had tuned out and refused. I began to see that Christmas was really a time to be refreshed in my faith and relationship with Christ. I became stunniingly cheerful. I was surprised by grace.

The final decoration on the Christmas gift Christ gave me was Santa. I was asked to play Santa at the museum and for an elementary school group. Everywhere I went that Christmas, people identified me with Santa. I spoke with little people riding in shopping carts, eating at restuarants, and walking in parking lots. I had more fun than I could have ever expected. 

I think of this experience as a harrable because there are many lessons woven in to the experience for me. I am still unraveling or unwrapping some of the lessons. The biggest lesson for me is that Jesus is the real gift, and He is new every day. He is the one who blows away the dark clouds and creates the joy worth having. Circumstances come and go, are anywhere from glad to sad, but He is always, and in every way, faithful.