We watched the Grinch movie the other night. It was a stark reminder and parallel to my RAD kids. The Grinch was green and ugly to the world though so the world immediately thought that something was "wrong" with him. My RADishes are cute and "charming" to the world so no one notices that their hearts are "two sizes too small".
As I watched the Grinch I thought of so many specifics. The Grinch was left outside too long the night he was delivered and no one "noticed him till morning". That is the picture of how my RADishes got their start. No one cared for them in their early years. No one made sure the were safe, warm, and loved.
The Grinch didn't bond to his caregivers, but tried to with a girl at school and cared about what his peers thought in a strange (not by any means normal way). You could see the Grinch cringe when he arrived at that party and realized that his caregivers were there. (I will give you that they were a little wierd, but all the characters on that movie were. lol) At school as a child he didn't do well with the other kids. Part of that was the fault of the other kids who insulted him repeatedly for being "different". As the parent of a RAD child I just wonder what all happened when the camera wasn't rolling. (Please don't think I've gone completely mad. I do know that this was a cartoon, but I'm paralleling it to my RADs.) I know for a fact that RAD kids push every button they can with their peers. They only want to manipulate and not build a relationship.
The Grinch HATED Christmas. See Christmas represents what everyone else LOVED. Being a RADish the Grinch just couldn't conform and love what he should. He had to HATE what those around him loved. Just as my RADishes continue to push away Jesus because they know He is worthy of love and that we love Him. Christmas was a time of joy for the whole community and his family, so the Grinch did everything that he could to ruin it for those around him. He wasn't happy inside and he didn't want anyone else to be happy either. The Grinch had been rejected and was making sure to reject all those around him before they had a chance to love or reject him. He had a miserable existantance and was very happy about that. He didn't want anyone to interject in his self loathe.
When the Grinch did agree to go to the party it was purely to try and make someone else mad or miserable. He went to the party because the little girl told him that it was making the mayor mad. See a RAD gets great joy out of causing others to feel bad. The Grinch was no different.
When things didn't go the way that the Grinch had planned (the "enemy" being sad, though the mayor was cruel), the Grinch went nutty. He threw a big old RAD tantrum! He didn't care how it looked nor did he care if people who did nothing to him suffered. RAD all the way!
Seeing other people happy despite his best attempts to make them unhappy nearly did him in. He couldn't stand that they were happy. How dare anyone be happy! Happiness of anyone else made the void inside of him apparent. RAD some more!
Finally the love of the little girl and the love of others broke through. His heart grew and he was able to love and care about others. He suddenly had a sense of right and wrong that he didn't have before. He was changed!
I am so praying that God will make the heart of my RADishes grow to a normal size. I want them to feel love, know love, and care. I know that God can break through their hearts of ice and bring them out of their misery.
My little Grinches are going to come through this - I just know it!
