What This 42-Year old Learned From The Peanuts Movie
On his ninth birthday, one of my sons chose for our family to go see the new Peanuts movie for his birthday celebration. The movie was vintage Peanuts and it was fun to see the old Peanuts crew on the big screen. I confess I did fall asleep for a good 15-minute chunk of the movie but I blame that on me, not Charlie Brown and the gang!
I am glad I caught the ending, however. The story revolves around Charlie Brown and his desire to impress the new, cute red-head (the Little Red-Haired Girl (LRHG) - she gets no name in the movie) who moved in across the street. Throughout the movie he takes poor advice from Lucy, pretends to be something he’s not, and obsesses over how he can make sure the new girl knows his name.
He’s fighting against his reputation. He’s hopeful about the fact that the new girl doesn’t know about his failures. LRHG doesn’t know that Charlie Brown can’t fly a kite, that he doesn’t know what kind of Christmas tree to buy and that he is certain to fall flat on his back when he tries to kick a Lucy-held football. He has the chance to impress this new girl without all the failures that he has allowed to define his life.
To his shock and great joy, on the last day of the school year, LRHG chooses Charlie Brown to be her pen pal over summer vacation. He is literally amazed and dumbfounded. He finds out she is heading away to summer camp for the summer so he chases her down right before she gets on the bus to camp. He asks her this question before she leaves:
“Why, out of all the kids in our class, would you want to be partners with me?"
In other words, Charlie Brown wants to know why she would choose him. After all, he’s a failure, a loser, a blockhead.
A Loser Just Like Me
I know exactly how he feels. Every day I have to fight back the lies the enemy feeds me. Lies that say I am a loser. Fat. Perverted. Broken. A fake. A hypocrite. I allow myself to be defined by my failures and flaws. By my insecurities. By the fact that others are better leaders than me. Better teachers. Better pastors. Better fathers. Better husbands. I play the comparison game, and I always lose.
Yet I love LRHG’s response to Charlie Brown’s question. She chose Charlie Brown because she "admires the type of person he is." He responds by saying, “An insecure, wishy-washy boy?”. She laughs and says,
“That’s not who you are at all. You showed compassion for your sister…honesty at the assembly…at the dance you were brave, yet funny….you were sweet to me."
Confession: I cried at the ending (Shocking, I know, for those of you who know me). LRHG got it right. She chose Charlie Brown because of all the good qualities he exhibited.
Admittedly this is a stretch because The Peanuts movie is NOT at its core a picture of the gospel. But, the message lends itself towards a teachable moment. LRHG saw Charlie Brown like God sees us. She sees the good in him, not all the lies he believes about himself. In spite of our sins and failures, God sees His followers through the lens of Christ’s death for our sins.
A simple, yet profound message today for those of you who are followers of Christ. How do you see yourself? Do you characterize yourself like Charlie Brown, “an insecure, wishy-washy boy/girl,” or by how God sees you? You are:
A child of God - John 1:12
Christ’s friend - John 15:15
Son/Daughter of God - Romans 8:14-15
Co-heirs with Christ - Romans 8:17, Galatians 4:6-7
A member of the chosen race/royal priesthood - 1 Peter 2:9
Prayed for by Jesus Christ - John 17
Rejoiced over with gladness, exulted over with His loud singing - Zephaniah 3:17
And much more.
I love the challenge from this movie. I want to see myself like LRHG sees Charlie Brown, and even more so how the Lord sees you and me. Instead of thinking of all the bad things you’ve done, think about “whatever is true, what is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).
Side story: I love the innocence of kids... My 7-year old said Lucy is a bad person because she uses the B word and the S word. I couldn't believe my 7-year old knew the B and S words. I was so relieved when I learned the B and S words for my 7-year old are "blockhead" and "stupid."