KC JONES|GUEST

My children and I were recently reading the children’s classic story, Pollyanna, when I was struck by the many themes and motifs that run parallel to Scripture. I finished the tale with an epiphany I had never considered before.

The story of Pollyanna revolves around a little girl who beams with joy and wholesome goodness. After she is orphaned initially by her mother and then by her father’s passing, Pollyanna moves in with her Aunt Polly who lives by a strict code of legalism which she refers to as “her duty.” Life is as you would imagine it would be for a young child moving in with a spinster who has never dreamed of, let alone entertained precocious, young children she has been tasked to raise alone.

Holding on to Joy

Pollyanna sets about revolutionizing the small town of Beldingsville by spreading the innate joy she feels with each individual. It is not long before it becomes evident how she impacts each resident, one at a time. Pollyanna’s secret is a little game her father taught her to play called the “glad game,” a personal challenge to come up with something she is thankful for despite the hardship she feels, no matter how small or insignificant. As Pollyanna lives out this model, members of the community, who at first had remained reticent, begin to grow curious, then find themselves playing the game as well. A measure of grace soon pervades the residents who were once broken and embittered by the trials of life—which end up being the very catalysts for moving them to a deeper place of joy.

Pollyanna’s genuine good nature compared with the resident’s hardened hearts, reminds me of the Apostle Paul who knew firsthand what it meant to remain content during suffering. Consider what Paul tells the Corinthians regarding suffering, “For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17-18). Paul not only understood the depths of human misery, but also maintained joy through such suffering because he knew God was using it to strengthen his faith.

Like Paul, Pollyanna tenaciously holds onto joy despite the various difficulties she faces, both large and small. She refuses to lose the game.

Before you roll your eyes and scoff at this fictional account of what appears to be a little girl, oozing with “sweet-as-pie-ness,” consider what happens to Pollyanna when she is hit by an automobile and loses the use of her legs.

This climactic moment in the story causes such a turn of events that it almost takes one’s breath away. The one child who initially brought such change to a people almost entirely foregone with resentment, grief, and isolation, is the one who becomes devastated by her own despair so entirely, that she cannot bring herself to do the very thing she had once urged everyone else to do: pursue thankfulness in the midst of adversity.

The people of Beldingsville then move toward Pollyanna, bringing the very message of peace and love that she had initially spread to them. It is they who visit Pollyanna only to find her struggling to play her own game as she faces such tremendous, personal loss. It is they who play the game on her behalf, coming alongside her, reminding her of what is true. It is they, who having been so deeply affected by her, cannot help but bless her in return.

Changed by Suffering

I will not tell you how the story ends, because that is not the point. The truth is Pollyanna and her community come to understand the beauty of contentment despite the direst circumstances. The same is true for us. Without suffering, we would never realize our need for God nor understand the weight of His glory. Ever the gracious teacher, God uses tribulation to strengthen our faith (Rom. 5:3-5; James 1:2-4).

Pollyanna would never have learned to play the game if she had not tried to think of why receiving crutches in a missionary barrel instead of a doll could be a blessing. She understood that not needing the crutches is the gift in itself. God saves us from more than we can imagine and loves us more than we can understand.

This is what Paul reminds us of in his letter to the Philippians, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:12-13). Paul endeavored to imitate Christ in his pursuit of contentment. In Scripture, we see Jesus living a life of submission to His heavenly Father, even to His death on the cross. It is a privilege to follow Christ’s example and learn to be satisfied in every storm for we know He is using it for our good and His glory.

Photo by Amin Hasani on Unsplash