March 26, 2007

I love watching “VeggieTales” with my 19 month old son, Caleb. VeggieTales claim that they have Sunday morning values with Saturday morning fun! Caleb loves VeggieTales, especially with all the cool music that he and Daddy get up to clap and dance with. We worship God as they sing about the characters and principles of the Bible.

God recently reminded me of something very important as Caleb and I watched a VeggieTales DVD called “A Snoodle’s Tale”. Bob the Tomato tells the touching story of Snoodle Doo, a loveable little character who learns the way that others see him doesn’t matter at all because God sees how special and beautiful each of us is, and that’s just how we should see ourselves.

During the story, the other Snoodles ridicule and laugh at Snoodle Doo because he is a new snoodle who can not fly or draw. He is clumsy and awkward. The Snoodles drew pictures of all Snoodle Doo’s shortcomings and continued to put them in his backpack. The drawings were heavy and burdened this little Snoodle. He was so burdened down that he didn’t want to be around anyone else. He climbed a big mountain to get away from everyone. As he climbed, the backpack full of depressing drawings that others had given him totally weighed Doo down.

He finally reached the top of the mountain and then he heard a voice. A man invited Doo into his house. Doo told him he didn’t need to come in because he (Doo) was tiny, silly and no good at art! (That is what the others had said.) The man asked Doo an important question, “Who told you that?”

The man told Snoodle Doo that He was his creator. He said “I know who you are because I made you!” Then he burned all the pictures Doo had in his backpack in the fireplace. Doo was free!

The man took out his easel, poster paper and paints and drew the most beautiful picture of a big, strong and athletic Snoodle who was very happy with large wings that had him flying high in the sky. The man told Snoodle Doo that is what he really looked like. Snoodle Doo looked down and noticed that he was not sitting on the floor anymore, but hovering just above it. Then he began flying all around very happily. The man told him that he gave Doo wings because he wanted him not to fly but to soar. Snoodle Doo flew back to Snoodleburg and told everyone about the man and how he saw them all at their best and brightest just like he saw Snoodle Doo.

I am so touched when I watch that story. God knows why He created us and sees us in the fullness of His purpose in our lives when we give ourselves completely to Him. All we have to do is to ask Jesus Christ to take over our lives and trust Him to lead us into His very best for us.

If you are carrying a heavy backpack of the past or of what others have said to hurt you… if you are carrying pictures of yourself or your life that give you pain and you just want to get away from people, ask God to take the pictures and memories that hurt you and throw them into His fireplace. He will do it! He has done it for me.

I would like to know about your decision to let God take the pictures and pain in your life away. Please e-mail me at Michael@Rejoicinginhope.org

Or mail them to Michael Burris Ministries, P.O. Box 105464, Jefferson City, Missouri 65109