“The King of the Broken Toys”
Identity
As I mentioned previously, Stanley was a stuffed lion. When he became old and torn, his family used rabbit parts to fix him. According to Stanley, it was the only parts they had. After his “procedure,” he became a lion with rabbit ears and legs. He was cute; however, he did not like the changes to his body. He felt like it changed his identity. He said, “I hop! I hoppity hippity hop, which is cute if you’re a hippity, hoppity toy. But no, I’m a lion, and lions don’t hop.”
As I meditated about this scene, I thought about our physical bodies. The fact is, we don’t always remain the same. Things happen! We get older and our bodies betray us. We can’t do the things that we used to do. Some of us gain weight- no comments, please! Sickness strikes! Accidents happen. Violence wreaks havoc in our lives. These things can cause our physical bodies to change, but that does not make us any less human or valuable. We belong to God and that is why our identity must be rooted in Christ! When Samuel tried to anoint the next king based on his appearance, the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). So, if we believe God’s word, why is our identity wrapped up in our physical appearance and why do we judge people based on their physical appearance?
Stanley lost his identity when his physical body changed and he did not believe that someone could love a lion with rabbit ears and feet. I know this is a cartoon, but there’s a lot of truth here. People will spend a lot of time, money, and energy on preserving their physical bodies and their image. However, when their tactics fail them or life simply happens, they feel worthless and unloved because that’s how the world treats them. Celebrities no longer receive the same opportunities when their physical appearances change. I once knew a very capable, intelligent woman who didn’t get a positive evaluation at work based on her weight and overall appearance! These are crushing realities in a fallen world. Yet, as believers in Christ, we serve a God who anoints his people based on their heart posture. Shouldn’t we spend more time working on that? Think about it. Then, go to the Father and pray about it.
#Soul Searching with Our Father#
Coming up Next
Part 3: Misunderstandings!
I did not intend to write three post about this one episode , but I have to be obedient to the assignments I’m given!
