Jesus & Winnie the Pooh

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you Matthew 5:44

As followers of Jesus, we can see His words reflected in many places and in many ways. What follows made me think on the scripture: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” . Sometimes God uses even the simplest stories, even the voice of a little bear in the Hundred Acre Wood, to remind us of the depth and gentleness of Christ’s call.
Pooh sat quietly beneath the trees, holding his little dandelion as if it were a tiny sun he could carry in his paw.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said softly, watching the seeds drift into the air like tiny wishes, “that life is much too short to spend it feeling heavy.”

Pooh looked down at his honey pot, the warm scent rising like comfort itself.

“Some people come into your life and fill it with sweetness,” he continued. “Some teach you lessons you didn’t know you needed. And some… well, they may leave you feeling a little bruised. But even then, I find I don’t have room in my heart for anger.”

Pooh went on, “Hate takes far too much energy… So I choose something softer. I either love you with the whole of my silly little heart… or I quietly wish you well from a distance. And if you’ve hurt me… then I hope you heal.”

“Hurt hearts tend to hurt others,” Pooh added, “and that cycle has to stop somewhere.”

Pooh blew another dandelion seed into the light.
“There’s a certain peace in letting go of bitterness,” he whispered, “in choosing compassion over anger… So I will keep making space only for love, kindness, and hope. Not because I’m perfect… but because my heart feels lighter that way.” ~ Wrenley Chana

A lighter heart is easier for Pooh to carry through the Hundred Acre Wood—and for us to carry through the world Jesus has placed us in.

May we, too, choose the lighter way of Christ.

Lord Jesus, You who loved Your enemies and prayed for those who harmed You, teach us to walk in Your way. Soften our hearts where they have become heavy. Heal the places where we have been hurt, and help us release those who have wounded us into Your care. Give us the courage to choose love instead of bitterness, compassion instead of anger, and prayer instead of resentment. Make our hearts lighter, not because life is easy, but because Your grace is enough. May we reflect Your love, both to those who are kind to us and to those who are not. In Your holy name we pray, Amen.