Mr. Fezziwig's Wisdom

It is now several weeks past Christmas, but I was thinking about a particular scene from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Scrooge is brought by the Ghost of Christmas Past, into his own past, to a joyous Christmas party given by his boss, Mr. Fezziwig.  Mr Fezziwig was by no means rich.  But he was extravagant with his Christmas party.  By setting aside a time for his employees to drink, eat, dance and be merry, he gave them more than just a good time.  He gave them wonderful memories, hope for the future, and over all it was an expression of his heart.  He would take out his fiddle and play while the young people danced. It was one of the memories, one of a kind man who was generous to those he cared for, which helped Scrooge's heart turn to flesh again.

I grew up during a time when both my extended family and church culture was a lot more legalistic than what it is today.  There was no dancing, no drinking, and no mini skirts allowed.
Now, to be honest, there is dancing which is not "good", atleast unless you are married and dance that way for your husband, and then its okay.  There is abuse of alcohol , and some people develop problems and addictions to it.  And dressing inappropriately, that is a whole other bowl of chips.  It is wonderful to know that there are more and more christians who are not getting caught up in these rules and legalism.  These people realize that we are all convicted of what we should do, and we need to be more concerned with our own hearts and lives than other's actions.  However, it is not dead.  Legalism still lives in the hearts of men in every church.  Have you ever felt like this when around religious people?

It is easy to live that way, I guess.   The line of thinking goes like this..."Don't drink, smoke, dance, or go to movies, and I'm good.  I'm going to heaven.  And the rest of those sinners, well, I am SO glad I am not as bad as they are."
The problem with having a list of rules which have nothing to do with morality, or even law or scripture, is that something a lot worse happens as a result.  I will use alcohol as an example.  We all have encountered the person who will not touch alcohol.  I totally respect that decision.  But it should be a personal decision.  We all have our vices.  We all have things which we need to be careful not to allow to overtake our lives.  For some people its food, or lack of food.  I remember reading something by C. S. Lewis where he describes the person who becomes prideful over their delicate palates, and their picky appetites.  This is where I am going.  When you follow rules which make you feel superior to others, it is much, much worse than actually being the partaker.  Even if the partaking is not good for you.
But concerning alcohol, even the Bible does not condemn its use.  Psalm 104 says this :
14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,

         And vegetation for the labor of man,
         So that he may bring forth food from the earth,

15And wine which makes man’s heart glad,
         So that he may make his face glisten with oil,
         And food which sustains man’s heart.

That sounds permissible to me.  Let's not forget that Jesus' first miracle was to turn water into wine. And it wasn't the watered-down variety.  It was the good stuff.  Just read the story.

Some of the most loving, fondest family memories I have of recent years are sitting around a feast with my  family enjoying Barbarone (a red Italian peasant wine).   Sharing a bottle of wine with my husband allows us to relax, reflect, and put the worries of the day behind us.  It is a gift!  The ancients knew this.  They thanked their gods for wine and mead.  They attributed the knowledge of creating fermented beverages to a higher power.  They knew life is hard.  Life is pain. Life is full of trials, but alcohol allows us a little bit of joy during the toughest times, and  can help soften the edges of a difficult day.  It can also let us be less critical of others.  This  is from my own experience.  If someone has annoyed me, and I have a drink with them, and talk things out, it allows some sort of common bond to form.  Goes for marriage too.  Most of the things I want to criticize my husband for simply don't matter.  Instead of criticizing him, I have found to bite my tongue and enjoy a drink with him, and I realize he is much more important than a silly misunderstanding or shortcoming.  And God knows my shortcomings are far worse than his.  

I usually do not write much about religion.  The reason is mostly because there is enough people being theological out there, and I have nothing new, fresh, or even very good to add.  This is more of a venting, I guess.

I am just done with "religious" or "spiritual"  people who follow all these rules, and expect other people to follow them.  I am tired of these same people who make others feel inferior, not worthy, or in anyway less of a "christian" because they do not have the same convictions.

I believe that it is much more important to show love,  compassion, understanding and forgiveness.  Who cares if someone smokes?   Or drinks beer?  Or eats ham?  

I am tired of feeling like this: 

(Apologies about the rambli-ness here, my thought process is exactly like this, I don't think linearly..haha)