“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” –John 15:12
Theodor Seuss Geisel was one of the great story tellers of the 20th century. He wrote poetry and books. He was an extraordinary animator who drew for his own books and political cartoons. He is best known for his amazing children’s stories that he wrote under the name Dr. Seuss. These wonderful stories, such as Horton Hears a Who! and The Cat in the Hat have blessed children all over the world.
Dr. Seuss was not simply a story teller who entertained his readers. Dr. Seuss used his catchy stories to share important messages and educate those who would read his books.
One of my favorite stories from Dr. Seuss is The Sneetches. This story features a group of yellow creatures know as Sneetches. Some of the Sneetches had stars on their bellies while others did not. Those with stars treated the other Sneetches poorly. There really was no difference in the creatures except the star. In the middle of the story a man by the name of Sylvester McMonkey McBean shows up with a machine known as the Star-On Machine. For just a few dollars he was able to put a star on the belly of those Sneetches that had no star. The Sneetches with no stars lined up. Now they all had stars on their bellies.
Well this did not make the Sneetches who had stars happy, to say the least. Sylvester McMonkey McBean had just the thing. He also had a machine that could take stars off. Sneetches begin to make their way through both machines until confusion takes hold. Before long, no one was able to tell who was who. They were just Sneetches.
Dr. Seuss used his wonderful gift of telling stories to remind us that we are more alike than when we often care to admit. It is easy for us to see our differences, but the truth is our differences are just a small part of who we are. Like the characters, we need to come to terms with the fact that, “Sneetches are Sneetches. And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.” When we chose to look beyond our differences we can begin to treat each other with respect, kindness and love. That is a wonderful story we all can enjoy.
Rev. Keith King, Online Campus Pastor
