Pooh's Grand Adventure

Lately, Caleb has requested the same movie over and over. Fortunately for us, both the girls love it too and don’t mind watching it repeatedly. And just between you and me it is one of my favorites also. Therefore, because we all win, we have seen Pooh’s Grand Adventure numerous times in the past couple of months.


The story starts out “on the last day of a golden summer...” when Pooh and his bestest best friend, Christopher Robin, spend the day together. However, the next morning, as leaves are falling from the trees and Rabbit is harvesting his garden, Pooh cannot find his loyal companion anywhere. Then, after reading a note from the boy, Owl informs the gang that he has gone off to S-C-H-O-O-L, wrongly pronounced Skull. In a quest for adventure the group join together to journey to Skull Mountain. They will face heffelumps and whoozzels, scary dark places and loneliness. Owl even gives them a map because, according to Rabbit, “in the written word is were truth lies”. Unfortunately, though, they lose the map and get lost along the way.

Eventually, they make it to Skull Mountain but there is no little boy in sight. They start to worry and fret. They are not sure what to do, where they are or where to go. They can’t figure out “how to find Christopher Robin without Christopher Robin“. The gang gets separated and each must journey on alone…

The movie’s story line reminds me of our Christian walk. We wake up one day knowing we need something. Someone. We just aren’t sure what it is. We talk to our friends. We seek advice from experts. And if we are lucky--extremely lucky--someone introduces us to Jesus Christ.

Then life becomes an adventure. We take a journey. Sometimes we have friends helping us along the way. Other times we are left alone to face our own versions of heffelumps and whoozzels. We face several dark places and dark times. And at times life can be very lonely for a Christian who isn’t surrounded by other believers through the church body, a small group or some close friends.

And even more importantly than who is on this adventure with you is the map you are using.  Rabbit may have been referring to the map that Owl made for them, but Old Long Ears did have one thing right. “In the written word is where truth lies.” The Truth really does lie in the written word.  And the only way to know what it says is to read it everyday.

Sometimes we think of the Bible as a list of dos and don’t. It is. In the Old Testament alone there are hundreds of rules including everything from “do not murder” to “do not wear cloths with more than one fabric”. (Obviously some rules are easier to follow than others.) But the Bible is way much more than that. It is a love letter written just to you.  Just to me.  Just to every single believer from God.  It is an instruction manual for life. How to live this life and live it to the fullest. (John 10:10)

…by the end of this wonderful movie Pooh and the gang find each other and then Christopher Robin finds them. Everyone is happy to be reunited. They all walk off hand in hand off for a new adventure. But his time together. That’s the best part. When we find each other and have true friendship and fellowship with other believers. When we can walk off hand in hand knowing, trusting and loving each other. Knowing all along that Jesus went away for only three short days and is with us now just waiting to bring us home.  That is the best ending of all.