Wisdom Found in Mary Poppins

When will you learn to look past what you see?” Mary Poppins.

This week I went to see the musical Mary Poppins at the Sleepy Hollow Theatre & Arts Park. On a perfect July evening, as the sun went down and the stars came out, a host of youth put on a stellar performance of the beloved musical.

I haven’t seen Mary Poppins for a while and its practical wisdom surprised and delighted me. It made me think about learning to look past what I can see. Too often adversity and affliction block our view and blind us to the fact that good things can come out of trying situations. When we dwell on our problems, fear sets in and we are less likely to overcome them. We let our fears get the best of us!

Here is my favorite definition of FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real. Did you know a huge percentage of what we fear never happens? That is why it’s so important to dwell on God’s promises and tell ourselves the truth. Scriptures such as, “No weapon formed against you will prosper,” Isaiah 54: 17, and this one from Psalms 34: 6, “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles,” can calm and encourage us.

Mary Poppins had lots of good advice. She said a spoonful of sugar could make the medicine go down in the most delightful way. Since we occasionally have to eat our words, we should make them sweet. In the New Living translation of the Bible, Proverbs 16: 24 states that, “Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Our words are powerful! A few kind words can make someone’s day and a good sense of humor can help us through almost any difficulty.

One of the musical’s most memorable songs is, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!” Richard M. Sherman, co-writer of the song, wryly observed “it was something to say when you have nothing to say.” Think about that. Instead of complaining when things don’t go right, we should shout out, “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!” We’d lift ourselves and everyone around us.

The week’s blog post photo has nothing to do with Mary Poppins and everything to do with her advice. What can you see in the photo beyond the mown hayfield and row of trees is “Salem Sue.”

“Salem Sue” is a 38-foot high fiberglass Holstein sculpture located at New Salem, N.D. Built in 1974 in honor of the dairy industry, she sits atop a high hill. From her vantage point on the hill, the cars and trucks passing by on the Interstate 94 look like toys. Beyond the fields of alfalfa, a windmill farm is visible and the view of the rolling prairie is magnificent.

May we, like Mary Poppins, look beyond the obvious and see the possibilities God has put before us. Wishing you a view as big as Salem Sue’s.

The view of Morton County, N.D. from Salem Sue’s viewpoint.

Salem Sue, a grand old gal!