The Gospel According to Winnie the Pooh
When I say Winnie the Pooh, you might have certain images come to mind. You might think of Christopher Robin and his Hundred-Acre Wood. You might think of the English writer A.A. Milne who wrote the stories. You might think of Kenny Loggins singing about being lost in a forest and asking Owl for help.
But would you ever think of the Gospel?
Well with these quotes, I hope you do from now on. I want to show you that Winnie the Pooh was a missionary in disguise, preaching the true Gospel of the Living God. His insights show just how wise the little pooh-bear was.
Simple Life Lessons
“What day is it?”
“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
“My favorite day,” said Pooh.
-A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh
Our hunny-craving bear brings our focus to today. Therefore, we are each to do as President Monson teaches when he says, “the present is here and…we must live in it.” It’s not enough to go through the motions. We must really live and be present. We have a life and we are to live it here and now.
“Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved.”
“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”
-Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne
In my opinion, Winnie has a very elevated perspective. He seems to understand life at its very core. President Uchtdorf even agrees with Winnie the Pooh. He taught, “sometimes in life, we become so focused on the finished line that we fail to find joy in the journey.”
Even with setbacks, we can enjoy the ride. Hopefully, we do enjoy the ride.
“Love is taking a few steps backward maybe even more…to give way to the happiness of the person you love.”
-Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne
The little yellow bear is keenly aware of love’s true nature. He knows that you are to give more thought to the comfort and happiness of your loved one than to your own happiness.
Incidentally, Elder Holland teaches this same concept. He explains that “true love blooms when we care more about the other person than we care about ourselves.” We can learn to emulate the Savior through examples as unlikely as a honey-loving pooh-bear. We can learn love, true love, from the simplest of sources.
Winnie’s Lessons on Missionary Work
“A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey in it.”
-Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne
This clumsy little bear knows that life is not as bright or colorful without friends. He knows that friends are treasures, treasures that each of us needs. Just like the sweet taste of honey, a true friend can make bitter times sweeter.
By the same token, President Hinkley explained that every member needs
a true friend to stay fully active in the Church. As member missionaries, we can be the honey in our friends’ pots. We can make their life brighter, and make it easier to remain within the Church.
I mean, think about any time you’ve felt alone. Certainly, it would’ve been a time when you might not have cared about commandments as much. What difference would a friend have made? Or was it a friend that pulled you from your slump? I know for me, often it is my friends that act as God’s messengers when I’m not inclined to listen well.
We can help our friends who need us.
“Before beginning a Hunt, it is wise to ask someone what you are looking for before you begin looking for it.”
-Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne
Winnie knows that missionary work is all about knowing why you are doing missionary work. Winnie teaches that we need to have the missionary purpose imprinted in our hearts. We find the missionary purpose in Preach My Gospel. This is in fact what we are “looking for” as Winnie said. This is the hunt.
We need to focus all our efforts on inviting others to come unto Christ. This even means we invite ourselves when needed (this is actually the person we’ll invite the most). Knowing what we are looking for in our hunt of a lifetime, we will actually find it.
When we invite others to come unto Christ, the Spirit can embolden us. It will propel us through the adventurous “hunt”! Having the correct purpose will allow the Spirit to guide us and then we become well-honed tools in the hands of the Lord.
“We will be friends until forever, just you wait and see.”
-Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne
What a wise little bear that knows that no goodbye lasts. Friends we make in random places can continue being friends thanks to the many tools given us by the Lord. Furthermore, Facebook, Twitter, and Insta-everything-else let us make our circle of friends astronomical. Chance meetings can blossom into fast-friendships. We don’t have to say goodbye anymore.
We are immensely blessed to have tools like Facebook at our thumb tips. There are so many ways for us to reach out, lift up, or just share what we know. Social media can be a huge black hole of time wasting, but it can also be a tremendous and powerful tool. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility. Of course, all of those funny videos we find on Facebook are just a plus.
Winnie the Wise
“Think. Think. Think.”
-Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne
Our last teaching from dear Winnie the Pooh deals with one of the greatest gifts we’ve ever received. Agency. We were sent here to think, reason, and to learn. The Lord wants us to choose. He has given us commandments, Scripture, and living prophets all to help us choose correctly. In the end, though, He wants us to choose.
In addition, President Benson once taught that “Thoughts lead to acts, acts lead to habits, habits lead to character—and our character will determine our eternal destiny.” Our thoughts have everything to do with who we are. Therefore, we would be wise to heed Winnie’s counsel.
A Big Pot of Honey
If ever we question our faith, may we search the scriptures, the living prophets, and of course, Winnie the Pooh. All light-heartedness aside, the Gospel is a true fountain of joy. It is delicious, like “hunny,” and its evidence is found everywhere, even in the Hundred-Acre Wood.
How else does Winnie the Pooh teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ? I’d love to hear what you find.