When You Believe Lies

Eeyore: [as he floats in the river] Don't pay any attention to me. Nobody ever does.

After watching the new "Winnie the Pooh" movie (2011) with our kids I can't get Eeyore out of my head. I know he's just a cartoon character, but what made him so depressed and hopeless? What happened in his formidable years that convinced him that no one cared?

At one point, Eeyore loses his tail (again!) and his friends try to find a new tail for him. Kanga knits him a tail and after she pins it on him he says, "It's an awful nice tail, Kanga. Much nicer then the rest of me." Let's face it, Eeyore is the poster child for self-esteem issues, but his negative self-talk may not be very much different from things we think about ourselves.

I may be over-thinking Eeyore a bit, but don't we all have a little bit of Eeyore hiding inside? He seems to come out during the worst of times, when we are feeling really insecure. Unlike Eeyore, we may not always say what we're thinking out loud, but we believe those thoughts to be true or we wouldn't be thinking them.

Can you tell the difference between the truth and the lies? Just like understanding why we do what we do, identifying the lies we believe and tell ourselves is really important. Not only do lies effect how we see the world and others, it effects our relationships and how we connect with people. When we have trouble seeing our own worth and value, then we assume others don't care either.

Usually the "lie" takes the form of our issues. If we struggle with trust then the lie will convince us that people are going to betray us. If we don't see our own value, then the lie tells us we are useless to others. What we are left with is a handful of assumptions, rarely based on any kind of truth. This can keep us from true intimacy and community with friends and family. It can keep us from serving and following God's nudges.

What I don't fathom about Eeyore is that he is cannot see the forest through the trees. He is surrounded by friends, friends that include him on all manner of adventures. Every time he loses his tail his friends go searching for it. They clearly care for him and want him around. Most importantly, even though he is the world's worst pessimist they still love him. They don't wait until he gets a better attitude. They are his friends even though he doesn't see his own value (but they do). Isn't this what friendship is really about? Isn't this how God sees us?

“…He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eyes…” (Deuteronomy 32:10)

Lies are binding. Like the chains we carry and long to be free from. Some of us know the truth, but choose to believe the lies. Maybe it's safer that way? What if we actually believed we were valued? What if we knew we had something to offer, something others desired in us? What would it be like if we rejected the lies and embraced the truth, accepting we are loved and valued in God's eyes?

He saved us. It wasn't because of the good things we had done. It was because of his mercy. He saved us by washing away our sins. (Titus 3:5)

Now if we could just get Eeyore to reject the lies:
Not much of a house. Just right for not much of a donkey.

(Atleast his friends think so!)








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