Are You a Pooh or an Eeyore?
Thursday, June 12, 2025
“A Christian whose soul is in a healthy state will come forward joyously and say, ‘I will not speak about myself, but to the honor of my God. He has brought me up out of a horrible pit and out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings; and He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God. The Lord has done great things for me—I am glad.” – C.H. Spurgeon
Walt Disney came up with a host of cartoon characters such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Donald Duck, Goofy, Clarabelle Cow, and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. He also produced animated films that featured characters created by others such as Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore.
Eeyore is an old, gray, stuffed donkey with a tail attached to his hindquarters with a ribbon. Whereas Pooh is a kindhearted optimist and Tigger is always full of energy and enthusiasm, Eeyore is their direct opposite. His melancholy personality and “whoa is me” outlook on life bespeaks someone who lives in a section of the Hundred Acre Woods known as “Eeyore's Gloomy Place: Rather Boggy and Sad”.
Unfortunately, we all know an Eeyore or two, people who are persistently pessimistic, forever seeing the glass as half empty rather than half full. It seems like they have a dark cloud hanging overhead 24/7… even when the sun is shining on everyone else.
For those who are clinically depressed, counseling and even medication may be necessary. But for those who simply need a word of encouragement or some friendly motivation, Charles Spurgeon has the following advice…
“In looking back, it would be wrong to deny that we have been in the Slough of Despond and have crept along the Valley of Humiliation, but it would be equally wicked to forget that we have been through them safely and profitably; we have not remained in them, thanks to our Almighty Helper and Leader, who has ‘brought us out to a place of abundance.’”
In other words, we all go through life’s ups and downs, its peaks and valleys. In fact, it is in life’s valleys that we often learn our most important lessons… and draw closest to God. However, we are not required to stay there nor is it healthy – physically, emotionally, or spiritually – to do so. When God “pulls us from the pit”, we can not only soar to new heights but also look back with gratitude at the depths from which we came.
“He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.” Psalm 40:2-3 (BSB)
