Eeyore’s Friends

It was going to be one of Rabbit’s busy days. As soon as he woke up he felt important, as if everything depended upon him. It was just the day for organizing Something, or for Writing a Notice Signed Rabbit, or for Seeing What Everybody Else Thought About It. It was a perfect morning for hurrying round to Pooh, and saying, “Very well, then, I’ll tell Piglet,” and then going to Piglet, and saying, “Pooh thinks—but perhaps I’d better see Owl first.” It was a Captainish sort of day, when everybody said, “Yes, Rabbit” and “No Rabbit,” and waited until he had told them.

Each time Eeyore must relate to a new creature of the forest, it is difficult, but perhaps no combination in the forest is so difficult and problem-laden as that of Eeyore and Tigger. There are more misunderstandings, more obstructions, and more difficulties in this combination than any other. Tigger is all about parties and flash and sparkle. Tiggers move quickly and think later. These characteristics are diametrically opposed to everything in Eeyore’s spirit.

The Donkey and the Tiger

Taking over the family-owned business seemed like a dream come true to Danny. When Grandfather Bishop started the appliance store in 1925, the very concept of a building with nothing in it but household machines was a novelty. But the dreams that others viewed skeptically became reality. Year by year, small expansion and successes built a lively income for Grandfather Bishop, his two sons, and later his grandsons. Danny’s father took over the business in 1962 and ran the operation with equal success until his retirement last year.

At first, Dad’s retirement created a small power struggle. Danny and his cousin Vance had both worked in the business since they were teens. Vance had the advantage of being older and more experienced. But in the end, Danny’s enthusiasm and salesmanship won, and Vance became the company vice president. There were no hard feelings, and the family was at peace until the months dragged on and Danny found communicating with his slower, methodical, negative cousin an almost impossible challenge.

Danny was all about flash and sparkle. The first day in his new position, he made plans to repaint the showroom and expand the product line. He was less than pleased when Vance and the accountant showed him how the disruption and expense involved in these projects was likely to impact current sales.

As the weeks continued, those two kept teaming up to throw a wet blanket on Danny’s dreams. Even when the accountant smiled with approval, Vance always found a way to dampen spirits and impede progress.

Danny wondered if there were a way to squeeze Vance out of the picture, but Christian ethics made it hard to seriously consider such a move. On the other hand, how could he take the business to the next level with Vance pulling on his coattails?

Tigers and Donkeys never make a comfortable team. They need each other. They balance and complement each other, but resistance and misunderstandings are commonplace.

In this particular case, Danny-the-Tigger would do well to consider more than his own feelings of irritation. Vance-the-Eeyore might be a God-sent balance, keeping the business out of the ditch and putting food on the table for next generation of Bishops.

The Donkey and the Owl

A conversation between Owl and Eeyore can make an observer feel as if he has walked into a double-feature movie with both films running concurrently—and on the same screen.

“I sure hope Pastor Ryan doesn’t preach on Jeremiah again this Sunday,” said Charlene as she adjusted her skirt and slipped into a new pair of heels. “I can’t get much out of the Old Testament.”

“Did you say Jeremiah?” her husband asked. “Always loved that book. Lots of good quotes in Jeremiah.”

“Sermons written in a series seem so artificial,” she replied. “Everything is planned in advance. Just doesn’t seem right.”

“Plans?” Philip fished in the closet for his new shirt. “Yes, there’s a good quote about plans. Jeremiah 29:11 says God knows the plans he has for us.”

“If we don’t make room for spontaneity, people will become bored.” Charlene pursed her lips as she applied Pink Illusion with a brush.

“The crowds have been a little light the past few weeks. I am not sure we need more room,” her husband noted as he patted his pockets trying to remember where he put his change and keys.

It is only natural that Owl and Eeyore talk at each other rather than to one another. They have completely different thinking processes. That is precisely why they have less friction between them. It is difficult to be offended when you haven’t listened to a word the other person has said.

This lack of attention is not rooted in animosity or indifference. Owl and Eeyore have a lot in common. They both are problem centered. Owl enjoys problems because they are a mental challenge. Looking at situations from a hundred different angles is second nature to him. Eeyore enjoys problems because they confirm his already negative outlook on life and provide hours of fodder for rumination. All in all, Charlene-the-Eeyore and Philip-the-Owl will make boon companions. But don’t expect either of them to actually solve anything. That doesn’t appear to be the purpose for which God made them.

The Lord God Made Them All

In the mid-1800s Cecil Alexander looked around at the world of infinite variety and wrote: “All things bright and beautiful, / All creatures great and small, / All things wise and wonderful, / The Lord God made them all.” 5

Ah, what wisdom in this childhood rhyme! If we could only remember that the Lord God made us all and he delights in the varied cornucopia formed by his hands, our attitudes toward each other would mellow a great deal. Yet we forget that simple truth so quickly. This is surprising because the concept has been around since the beginning.

Long before Alexander picked up his pen, the writer of Psalms said, “Know that the L ord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3).

Godmade us. Not impersonal forces of an evolving universe. Not big bangs or primordial slime charged with a lightning strike. Not accidental happenstances and billions upon billions of years toiling up the evolutionary ladder.

God made us. All of us were his idea. Different nations. Different skin tones. Different desires, dreams, music styles, senses of humor, clothing styles, jobs, and environments. Desert dwellers. Mountain people. City slickers. Village keepers. When the psalmist wrote the above quote, millions of people populated the earth. Looking at all of them, he said that God made.

God made us. Not that the Almighty started out with a good plan but is now stumbling along with a creation gone wild. Not that he is surprised we turned out so rotten, twisted, or such a far cry from the single, perfect copy he desired. Imperfection, personality clashes, sour people with hidden agendas, and more are not surprises to God. He knew what was ahead when he breathed life into Adam’s clay. All people are not good, but all people are his property.

Sin is real, and humans are all in need of redemption. God is a holy judge who will one day send fire on all that offends. Earth and the people on it have been scarred and spiraling downward since Eden. But that gloomy reality has nothing to do with the infinite variety of personalities God has created. It is not wrong for Eeyore to be Eeyore. Neither is it inherently wrong for someone to be phlegmatic, golden retriever, red, ITNJ . . . or even XYZ! Personality differences, including ones that clash with our own styles, are not sin. God delights in differences, and we can learn from them.

If we truly believe the Lord God made us all, we have to agree that only he has the right to judge us all. Accepting that fact at the heart level should spare us a bundle of useless frustration. We should take each situation at face value and respond to the behaviors rather than get bent out of shape trying to make others think, feel, or see how things “ought” to be. People don’t have to be like us—and we don’t have to be like them—before we can accept each other.

If we truly believe the Lord God made us all, we will value the advice, correction, and ideas of others without being threatened by them. We also can go against their advice without guilt or fear. Because the Lord made all, all stand on level ground. Each can have his own ideas. Each makes valuable contributions. Each is worth listening to, and in the end, each must be responsible for the conduct of his own life.

If we truly believe the Lord God made us all, we will realize we all need each other. God makes no mistakes and has created nothing without purpose. Romans 8:28 assures us that it is all designed for our good now and for our future reward.

This principle is true even when you live with an Eeyore. After all, Eeyore must live with you too.

The End

Author Note

I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to each subscriber of WinnsboroToday.com who has taken time to read offerings from my book, Living With Eeyore. Whether you have faithfully gone through the entire book, or simply enjoyed an occasional segment, I trust that you have been given a smile and maybe even an idea or two for managing the personal Eeyore God has placed in your life. The book will be released from Standard Publications on April 2 nd and should be available at local bookstores after that date. Your comments are always welcome. You can contact me either through Winnsboro Today or at ElizabethBaker.com.