The world, Eyeore, and Piglet

Got your attention this morning with that title, no? (Grin)
Our world seems to be in even more of a mess nowadays, doesn't it? The coronavirus outbreak has many of the earth's residents in an uproar. Many are sick and even critically ill; many are struggling to endure and nurse the sick back to health; others are working mightily to develop tests and vaccines . . .
The virus has spread to many countries and many thousands of people have been exposed. If I were to post numbers, they would be out of date before you read the post. Naturally, people are alarmed. Even though we have had other outbreaks in the past (Ebola and swine flu come to mind), and even though Covid-19 has not claimed the number of lives seasonal influenza has claimed, it's alarming and even frightening. This one feels different.
Part of the problem is that it's new - no one really knows a great deal about it (except perhaps the peeps who developed it, and maybe they don't even really know), and so we are all learning on the fly. Part of the problem is that many of the media, political candidates, and even some of those currently in office are engaging in finger-pointing and shouting. Oy vey. Not helpful.
The world has been given a reminder of something that we believers have known all along, and that others have conveniently forgotten. We are not in charge of our own destiny - we exist and have life and breath through the grace of God!
God has worked through mysterious ways in the past. God can work in our world today. When the situation is the worst, believers should be at their best.
Wait a minute.
I think that was important. It's not me. It's something the Spirit said through me. (And it may be that many others have said it before I did!)
. . . When the situation is the worst, Christians should be at their best.

Recently, I was reading to a little one from a Winnie the Pooh storybook. The residents of the Hundred Acre Wood stayed in my mind as I was looking again at the passage in Nehemiah that we just studied.
Would you mind terribly if we camped here again? (Grin)
Let me explain. I'm really not dragging my feet. Seriously.
My thoughts were about the health situation our world is facing and the personalities of the animals in the Hundred Acre Wood.  (I know, I know, strange....)
We don't have to flip through too many channels to find someone who seems like Eyeore. Eyeore, the little gray donkey with the easily lost tail, is sad and discouraged. He sees the world's cup as half empty and draining fast. His motto could be "woe is me."
On the other hand, many people approach life with an attitude like Pooh. Pooh is sometimes a little fuzzy in his thinking, and he freely admits that he does not know it all, but he is positive and upbeat.
Piglet may seem to be a worrywort and flighty, but I am going to champion Piglet as the one we should adopt as our role model.
Gasp!
Why?
Piglet may be tiny, but he is full of potential. First, in spite of being anxious, Piglet never lets his fear stop him from doing what he wants to do. He tries incredibly hard to be brave, even if every bone in his tiny body (oh, wait, he is a stuffed animal...no bones) is telling him to run away.
Piglet is terribly loyal to his friends, and will face danger in order to take care of them. The only time he will bail out on a friend is when someone larger and more intelligent (Christopher Robin) comes along to help. He is passionate about the relationships he has, and battles his insecurities to do what's right. Piglet often comes up with creative, "brainy" ways to be compassionate to his buddies and ensure their safety (like leaving a jelly bean trail to find their way home). He has no problem admitting his faults and overlooks the flaws of his friends.
Quite frankly, he is happy.
And he wants everyone around him to be happy, too.

Do we find it difficult in these times to be happy?
Has our joy gotten pushed aside by worry?
Are we focused on the negative?
The people in Nehemiah 8 had been saddened by the realization of their sins. They were worried that they could never hope to measure up. They were focused on the negative situation.
Nehemiah and the Levites needed to cheer them. Perhaps they reminded them of this verse:

You will show me the path of life;In Your presence is fullness of joy;At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)

We know for a fact that they said this:

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10) [emphasis mine]

Are we finding it tiresome to keep keeping on with all the fear in the world today?
This week we are going to focus on joy.
We are going to try to move past our inner Eyeore, and emulate tiny Piglet.
Interested?
Stay with me!