The definition of the word, “curmudgeon,” can best be described in pictures rather than words, The Muppet’s grumpy fellows sitting in the balcony come to mind. I also think about Clint Eastwood telling those delinquent kids to get off his lawn. It also stirs up an image of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau complaining about the number of fish they caught and the freezing temperatures. A curmudgeon is usually associated with the elderly. I guess that would mean I’m one of them, but usually we think of men getting grumpier as time goes by. Of course, I don’t want to be considered sexist or intolerable. I must be careful not to be offensive to anyone – not because it’s the right thing to do, but it might cause activists to protest my thoughts and words. The point is, being a curmudgeon has no boundaries. You can be one, no matter how old you are.

The truth is, when we get old, we tend to have a lot more time on our hands. We spend a lot of that time looking out our windows. If you have a creative mind, you can conjure up all kinds of scenarios that might be happening right in your own neighborhood. You sometimes feel that now that you’re old, you have a right to be grumpy. The world owes you. We think about the past a lot and wonder why things aren’t like they used to be. We can’t believe the morality of today. We don’t understand a lot of things that are going on – not because we’re addled, but because most of it doesn’t match up to our way of thinking. We worry about money. Will there be enough to keep us alive for a few more years? We’re stressed about our health and mortality. We go crazy about the state of the world, politics, elections, relationships, people that don’t believe as we do. Most of those things are situations that just about everyone is concerned about. It’s not just the elderly.

We’re all unique. Even those grumpy folks we encounter from time to time. We all feel grumpy some of the time. There is most likely a reason for the grumpiness. We can’t walk in their shoes, but we can show understanding and compassion as they go through those difficult times. If we’re guilty of being the grumpy ones, ask God to turn things around in your mind. Focus on the positive things. Don’t give up. God also gives us wisdom in that department. 

Philippians 2:14-16 – “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.“

It’s Curmudgeon day. Make someone happy. Laugh with them. Lift them up and encourage them. Tell them you understand. Share a silly joke. Turn their frowns upside down. Share God’s love with them.