Jagulars

“‘There's something in one of the Pine Trees.'

'So there is!' said Pooh, looking up wonderingly. 'There's an animal.'

Piglet took Pooh's arm, in case Pooh was frightened.

'Is it one of the Fiercer Animals?' he said, looking the other way.

Pooh nodded. 'It's a Jagular,' he said.

'What do Jagulars do?' asked Piglet, hoping that they wouldn't.

'They hide in the branches of trees, and drop on you as you go underneath,' said Pooh. 'Christopher Robin told me.'

'Perhaps we better hadn't go underneath, Pooh. In case he dropped and hurt himself.'

'They don't hurt themselves, ' said Pooh. 'They're such very good droppers.'

Piglet still felt that to be underneath a Very Good Dropper would be a mistake, and he was just going to hurry back for something which he had forgotten when the Jagular called out to them.

'Help! Help!' it called.

'That's what Jagulars always do,' said Pooh, much interested. 'They call "Help! Help!" and then when you look up, they drop on you,'

'I'm looking down,' cried Piglet loudly, so as the Jagular shouldn't do the wrong thing by accident.”

Besides the fact that every time I think of this portion of Winnie the Pooh's tale I think of Steven Roe and the AMAZING interp he did of this piece several years back, I saw something tonight that I think will forever be an image that is filed away in my brain's scrapbook of random moments.

I was walking home from an study group we had in the Empire State Building (ESB) and directly after I exited the revolving door, an elderly women passed me.  If she had stood to her full height, she would have been about a foot shorter than me but her shoulders were curled inward and her head was held cowering so far down that I wasn't able to get even a slight glimpse of her face.  I could tell from the way she walked that it wasn't just old age that was causing her to keep her head so downcast.  

She was afraid.  

Afraid of what, I do not know.  After we passed ways, my heart went out to her and the first thing I did was pray for her.  I prayed that this woman would be protected as she made her way home that night and that she would be set free from whatever it was that had a choking grip on her life. And then, for some strange reason I thought of Piglet.  I realized that as this woman had walked alongside the ESB, she had cowered as if looking up would provoke a Jagular to drop on her head. 

Although this may seem silly, I don't want this post to just be a laughing matter.  Seeing this woman made something click in my mind.  

We all have Jagulars in our lives.

It could be something as simple as spiders or cockroaches, or it could be something more large like deadly heights or being electrocuted.  Our Jagular could even be something as meaningful as being loved, being alone, or trusting in someone only to be hurt by them.

The Bible reassures us that as Christians, all things are possible in Christ Jesus.  So... why do we still cower and fear that a Jagular will drop on us?  I think that it's because we haven't taken the time to look at our fears and see if they really are worth being paralyzed by.  I think we also tend to forget that we don't have to face our fears alone.

Psalm 27:1, 6, & 14 proclaims:

“1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

14 Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!”

Let's stop acting like Piglets.  Let's be Moses, Deborahs, Ruths, Davids, Daniels, and Esters.  They certainly weren't perfect... But they did walk in the strength of the Lord.

*raises head to look up at God*  I dare you to drop on me now you Jagulars, you!  Cause I've got God on my side... Booya!