My two-year-old granddaughter, Mila, loves Winnie the Pooh. When she spends the night with us, I put it on for her in the mornings while we are getting dressed. A few Sunday mornings ago, she seemed adamant on instructing me as to who all the characters were. “Tiggggerrr – bounce” to which she attempted to jump, only with Mila, one foot goes up and the other stays down. Her finger pointed toward the Flat Screen, “Winnie POOOH.”
“I see him,” I responded.
“Rabbbbittt.”
The scenario continued until she had named all the characters several times, and I was dressed. But in the process, I thought about people. Just like the characters from A.A. Milne’s book, God made us with various personalities for a reason. And just as the 100 Acre Woods needs each animal’s personality to function, so do we.
Imagine a woods full of Tiggers! Bouncy, bouncy fun, fun, fun – No wonder he is the only one! Nothing would ever get done. Tiggers are that loud, boisterous personality – the one people center around at the office water cooler – the one with the funny lines and wild adventures. They are the life of the party. The one creating the fun – but ten of them in one room?
Rabbits are disciplinarians. Rule followers. Rabbits are the problem solvers, the organizers, the keeping track of everything people. Rabbits count pennies and dot i’s and cross t’s. They don’t like things out of place. What a world of chaos we’d live in without them.
Piglets are trusting. They see the good in people. Piglets are the 1/2 full not 1/2 empty people. The forever optimists.
Eeoyres are just the opposite. They are the orange vest type personalities – always on the look out for impending doom. The sky is falling down personality type.
Kangas nurture and love and protect. Kangas are here to serve, with soft voices and a loving touch. Kangas are the ones we go to when our world has fallen apart.
And Winnie the Pooh, the indecisive, flexible, ‘whatever works for you’ personality. Winnie the Pooh’s blend. They make it all fit. They do what is asked of them without complaint or explanation. Winnie’s are team players with pleasant outlooks on life. They march right along with the world.
The nice part about the 100 Acre Woods where Christopher Robin lives is no one tries to change anyone else. They all belong. Their uniqueness is what makes the little community work. Everyone plays a role.
Somehow, I think A.A. Milne has a message for us in the simplicity of his story about God and His creation in all of us.
Who are you in the 100 Acre Woods? Who are the people around you? What is their part?
We need to celebrate each other and love each other for our roles in this beautiful 100 Acre Woods planet the Lord has given us. It might diffuse a bit of the anger and frustration so many people have toward one another. Love people where they are. Love people for who they are. We need to see the world as my sweet granddaughter sees it – with all the uniqueness and wonder it has to offer.
