While millions of Americans woke up this morning to look out the window and see if the sky was falling yet, check their Facebook news feed, and choose words of complaint or fear to update their statuses, I think a trio of Nick Jr. characters might have a plausible solution for the problem we’re facing.

Their names are Lenny, Tuck, and Ming Ming, and in case you didn’t know, they’re a guinea pig, a turtle, and a duckling, respectively. The Wonder Pets team has been rescuing baby animals and saving the day with teamwork for I’m guessing the better part of a decade now.

And last week, when I was home with a sick four-year-old, and the boys who’ve “aged out” of Wonder Pets watching were out of the house, I gently suggested (with secret hopefulness) that the Wonder Pets would be a good choice for my couch-bound little girl.

We found our way to an episode where the Wonder Pets save Humpty Dumpty and then save a Meerkat family (thanks Amazon prime) and as I sat on the floor with toys and a baby in my lap, this scene unfolded in front of me and I was seriously impressed.

All you need to know for all of this to make sense is that Lenny, Tuck, and Ming Ming are school pets who get calls to go save the day after the school bell rings and the kids have gone home. They hop in the fly boat they assemble in just about every episode (from a frisbee, some tinker toys, and a notebook paper sail) before they take off through a secret-cubby passageway.

Here’s a visual for assistance.

source

In this particular episode, the sail of the fly boat is torn, and the WPs need to decide how to quickly remedy the situation so they can get on with the mission. Ming Ming quickly finds a block, which she thinks could serve as a useful replacement, while Tuck finds a small pair of shorts. When they can’t agree on which to use as a replacement, Lenny suggests a vote.

Each candidate gets the opportunity to explain why their choice is the best, with Ming Ming exclaiming proudly:

“I know a block seems strange,
but a vote for a block is a vote for CHANGE!”

Turtle Tuck comments on the shorts being soft and cuddly, and more like a sail. The votes are tallied, and Tuck’s shorts are chosen for the sail. But pay attention friends, because I wouldn’t be typing out this whole Wonder Pets story if it wasn’t going somewhere and this is THE KEY…  After Tuck’s block is chosen, Ming Ming sadly walks away, saying “Bummer! I’m outta here!” Lenny quickly calls after her:

“Ming Ming, now that the vote is over, we need to be on the same team!”

Ming Ming is surprised, but gladly rejoins the team, and the mission to save the day continues.

Thank you for baring with me through what might seem like a preschool lesson — since you’ve hung out this long, I hope you’ll at least read/scroll through my reasons why this lesson could be exactly what our nation needs right now.

First, We Can All Agree We Wish We Could’ve Found a Better Person for the Job of President.

If we’re all willing to step off the soap boxes on either side of the fence, I think we can agree that there’s a lot lacking in terms of the man who is now officially the 45th President of the United States of America. We’re sad that divorces, drama and derogatory comments are such a big part of the story of Donald Trump. Political views aside, I’m still totally disappointed Ben Carson, husband of one wife and a man with so much wisdom and character, wasn’t put ahead of Trump as the candidate of choice. John Piper expressed what many, many Americans are thinking today:

“Few parents would say to their young people: strive to be like President Trump. That is a great sadness.” –John Piper {source}

{Please read this article by John Piper which is a powerful encouragement on how to live and pray as a Christian in this season.}

Second, We Can All Agree To Choose to Be the Change that No President Could Ever Make.

While having a new president in the oval office will change some things, it won’t change everything. This is where we have the privilege of stepping up — and we have to. Anger, divisive comments, name calling, and negativity are not going to change things. But choosing to be on the same team, as Lenny the Guinea Pig puts it, can change everything.

Being on the Same Team means we must:

1. Choose our words carefully, because you care about how they will make other people feel. If we want to be on the same team, we have to consider how our words will affect others. Updating your Facebook status to say “Class is back in the White House” is hurtful and divisive. Be a team player by staying positive and choosing words that will uplift everyone on the team.
2. Respect the choices of our teammates. If your neighbor wants to march in Washington, or send funds to support Planned Parenthood and you wish Planned Parenthood never existed, it’s okay. Respect your teammate. If you want to enter into a kind and genuine dialog about an issue, take it offline and do it over coffee. Creating a social media back-and-forth argument seldom makes progress, but often causes hurt and frustration. Maybe in that real life meeting, you’ll be slower to speak, and quicker to listen, and you’ll make some important discoveries — perhaps you’ll uncover some important details about your neighbor’s past you didn’t know before, and you’ll begin to ‘get’ their point of view. Seek to understand.
3. Be Brave Enough to Say I’m Sorry. We will make mistakes along the way. We will hurt our teammates–but we have to work together to move forward. If someone offends you, go to them gently, and try to find a path to peace. When you realize you’re the one who has blown it, be brave enough to say you’re sorry. Let your paths be marked by peace.
4. Go Out of Our Way to Find Ways to Be a Team. Choose today to look for people who don’t look like you, think like you, or agree with you, and try to make positive connections. A bright smile and a wave to the person who gives you a chance to pull out onto the road when you’ve been waiting a while is a gift. A decision to pay for the coffee or the groceries of the person behind you in line is a gift. A decision just to speak, to look for something good and say something kind is a gift. Show kindness to the co-worker most people are frustrated with. Look for secret ways to be a blessing.

What if we all took Ann Voskamp’s Dare to Be The Gift Today, to take five minutes every day to be generous and show love?

Mother Teresa said, “Don’t look for big things, just do small things with great love….The smaller the thing, the greater must be our love.” {Source}

And Jesus challenges us: “But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” {Matthew 6:3-4, NKJV}

Whether Jesus is the center of the Universe for you or not — but especially if He is — your mission today has not changed from your mission yesterday. The greatest commandment was summed up so gently, and so simply, that it could’ve been included in an episode of a preschool show:

Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.” {Mt. 22:37-40, The Message}

What can you do today to show love? To reach out? To be a gift? Don’t walk away because the vote is over and you’re not happy with the results. Walk forward, loving God and loving people the best you know how.

A people with great love cannot help but become a great people.

xCC

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