Christmas Break Goal Day 1- Veggietales, The Little House That Stood

This is a Veggietales week; I decided that after a few days of pushing to get everything done early (i.e. three take home exams), and with a few more school-related details to finish up, I needed to start off easy.

This is one of my favorite Veggietales to-date because of the humor and, obviously, the message. The Little House That Stood  has two fairy tale-twists to the parables of the Wise and Foolish Builders (Matthew 7:24-27) and the Good Samaritan (Matthew 5:25-37). My favorite part is normally the first one, but because I was watching with my brothers (one of which was doing the dishes while the other was on his cellphone… like me) it was hard to pay close attention to what was going on. Surprisingly, what caught my attention this time around was the Humpty-Dumpty’s attitude in “The Good Egg of Gooseville”. He was so determined to fix his cracking shell and go on a vacation that he overlooked the needs of others, even to the extent of pushing away the little bear who wanted to help him help others. Children have such an innocent and simple outlook on life, and I wonder how many times I decide life is too complicated, hard, and rough that I don’t need to do what I know is right, no matter that cost I will pay.

Honestly, I see myself as a very selfless person— just recently I  was telling a friend how I wanted to have someone care for me the way I do for others. I know this is a normal desire, and I do not believe it is sinful. Even so, I am also aware that I will not get very far if I walk around with the mindset of, “Why don’t you serve me for a change!” Would it be nice to have someone plan their time around me, go out fo their way to be there for me when I need them, and take the time to listen to my list of complaints like Humpty did in the fairytale parable? Of course. But is life really about what people can do for me, or even what I can do for them? No. It is about honoring and loving God, others, and ourselves. Quite often this will neither look nor feel the way we want it to, but that’s alright because at the end of the day it is always worth it. I am learning (ever learning) to balance giving my time to others, to God, and to myself. I am not sure I will ever get it fully right while I’m here, but just like Humpty learned the beauty of caring for others and accepting the care of others to be a worthwhile adventure, I’m not doubtful that I will find the same to be true for me. And I hope that you come to find the same to be true for yourself.