I like Winnie the Pooh. I enjoyed getting to know Pooh, Tigger, Christopher, and the rest of the gang through the eyes of my children. A. A. Milne‘s wisdom rings through the simple words of a honey-starved bear. Pastor and author Scotty Smith [Twitter | Facebook] often quotes Milne…especially in social media.
For me, more than the quotes, more than the stories, more than the relationships, there is one aspect of Pooh’s life that I think about daily. It’s a macro principle. It’s a 30,000-foot altitude characteristic.
Pooh sits down to think.
 |
| Piglet and Pooh Thinking All copyrights belong to the holders. Used without permission. |
Granted, he’s not very good at it. He often comes to the wrong conclusions. Next, he acts on those conclusions. Then, we laugh at the bear and his friends. The funny plots created by his off-beat thoughts eventually lead us to a moral at the end of the story.
Nevertheless, Pooh starts to solve his problem the right way. He sits down to think.
Earlier this week, I read a passage of Scripture in a new light.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”So God created man in His own image;He created him in the image of God;He created them male and female.God blessed them.
Genesis 1:26–28a HCSB (emphasis mine)
I’ve read this passage, heard this passage taught, edited radio broadcasts that expounded on this passage, and, gulp, even taught on this passage. Yet, I never took my cue from Pooh until this week. I never sat down and thought about it.
I have always acknowledged that God made me in His image. I’ve always accepted it as a fact and a truth.
Earlier this week, I sat down with my Bible on my desk and a pen in my left hand. I pulled a Pooh.
“Think! Think! Think!”
When Pooh thinks, he always figures out something he needs to do. He lets the facts inform his actions. Then he wriggles his stuffing-filled body up off the branch, rock, or ground and gets to work.
I’ve never lingered over the idea of being created in His image.
What does it mean to be the spitting image of my Father?
What does it mean to be an original and not a knock off of the brand?
What does it mean that He asked Himself to pose while He painted my being on the canvas of bone, sinew, and spirit?
I thought about my favorite brands. I brag on how well their employees, products, advertising, packaging, and more does a great job of bearing the image of the brand thereby deepening my appreciation for the brand.
How well do I bear the image of God? How should being an image-bearer influence how I behave, do my work, love my wife and children, and serve my neighbors and enemies.
I think I’ll sit down, tap my temple, and “Think, think, think.”
While I’m thinking, I’ll listen to Mark Schultz‘s “You are a Child of Mine.” Seems like the right choice.
What have you thought about being an image bearer of God?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
Recent Comments