Remember VeggieTales?
If you were around in the 1990s and were much into Christian pop culture, you do. Their Bible lessons on VHS tapes were ubiquitous in the homes of Christians with kids.
And their lessons and songs—well, what can I say? They stick with you. Silly songs with Larry (“oh, where is my hairbrush?”). Rack, Shack, and Benny–because Bible names are too hard to pronounce. And that moment when Jonah gets tossed overboard and the storm instantly clears up and the captain says, “That was easy.”
Yeah. It stays with you.
Our kids have grown and we have aged, but if you are like me, you’ll be glad to know that TBN is bringing back VeggieTales with its Bible laced themes and those ridiculous, hilarious songs. But it took a circuitous route to get there. There is a lesson in it for us.
The videos debuted in 1993, and within five years VeggieTales was the best-selling Christian children’s product in the world and the most successful direct-to-video series in history. Originated by Phil Vischer, who also voiced many of the characters, the products were the property of his Big Idea Productions. Vischer continued to ride a wave of success, borrowing and building to expand the VeggieTales’ brand and name.
It was a heady time for Vischer. Success was exhilarating, and everyone in the entertainment business kept telling him that Larry and Bob’s meteoric rise would not fade in any foreseeable future.
And then a lawsuit came, Big Idea Productions was overextended, video sales waned, and Vischer’s dream crashed. He went bankrupt and lost his precious rights to his creations. As it turns out, the Jonah movie was the last big production for Big Ideas.
In a recent interview with KLOVE Radio, Vischer admitted, “I was building and spending and I ended up spending myself right into bankruptcy,” he explained. “And I lost the company because Phil thought that God wanted him to be Walt Disney, but God wanted me to be Phil.” Since 2003, the company and the VeggieTales brand have been bought and sold, circulating in a secularized no man’s land where Christian themes are confusing and exploited for money.
Finally, VeggieTales will return this fall in a Christian context.
To his credit, Vischer learned from his failures. He chronicles the whole story with engaging candor in Me, Myself, and Bob.
On the front end, it is a cautionary tale. Not about fame or fortune or talent. But about the mistakes people make and the devastation that comes from pride. But it is also a tale of the grace of God to overcome those mistakes.
As usual, a downfall begins with pride. As Vischer admits, he had a dream. A big dream. Nothing wrong with that. But Vischer’s ego got the best of him and he began to follow the dictates of the people around him and his own ego rather than God’s direction.
Pride never pleases God. In fact, it is impossible to please God and be prideful at the same time. He directly opposes those who are prideful (James 4:6). Pride always propels us away from God’s will and into the path of destructive decisions (Prov. 16:18).
Instead, humility and dependence on God align us with His will. Such humility is grounded in a realistic view of who we are in Christ, and who God wants us to be (Gal. 6:3). Prideful people view themselves as better than others and incapable of making mistakes, and compare themselves to others. Rarely do they apologize for errors or own their failures. But humble people see others as worthy of love and respect. They know that relationships matter in life and business, and they see growth and success as a way to elevate other people (Phil. 2:3).
In short, people who live in God’s will know that they are sinners, saved by grace, and that other people are God’s creations as well. They work hard, seek God’s approval, and advance on God’s agenda. And they are content to be who God made them to be.
But Vischer’s tale reminds us of a second biblical truth that we should never overlook. God is a God of second chances. Of starting over. If we are patient and learn from our mistakes, especially those born of our own arrogance, and if we turn back to God in humility and permit Him to guide our next steps, and then when we stop trying to prove ourselves to other people and worry ourselves with what they want, God will often restore us to a place of service.
So humility teaches this: Be who God wants you to be. And let Him worry about everyone else (John 21:1-23).
God doesn’t leave us, even when we find ourselves stuck in the mire of our own making (Heb. 4:16, 2 Cor. 12:9). Or, for that matter, in the belly of a fish.
Remember that Jonah movie? The one that signaled the end of Big Idea Productions and punched a hole in the pride of Vischer and friends? If you do, then you will also remember a song in the movie, sung by a choir inside the stinky belly of the oversized fish. “Praise the Lord! He’s the God of second chances!”
Funny, isn’t it, that such a song would be the link to Vischer’s failure and his announcement that VeggieTales was about to return.
But then, that’s how God works.
He meets you at the bottom, that deep, smelly place your own pride has put you. And if you are humble, in His timing He will restore you.
Just as He did for Moses. And as He did for King David. And just as He did for Peter.
And as He has done for Phil Vischer. And for Bob and for Larry.
And He will do it for you