If you’ve hung around this blog long enough, you’ll know I have a thing about Wemmicks. I thought I would write a post explaining exactly why I refer to them all the time, and hopefully you will grasp a deeper understanding of why this blog began and what its ultimate purpose is.
What is a Wemmick?
Max Lucado has written a series of books for children that all revolve around these adorable little wooden creatures called Wemmicks. They all live in Wemmickville and do many silly things with great seriousness. Their Creator, the Woodcarver, lives in a cottage up the hill from Wemmickville, but the vast majority of Wemmicks pay him no heed.
There are a few Wemmicks who do know the Woodcarver and go to visit him and learn from Him. It sort of reminds me of the story of Pinocchio. He’s a silly wooden puppet who eventually learns enough truth to become a real boy—and real son to his adoptive father.
In each story that Lucado weaves, the Wemmicks are caught up in a different silliness that results in ultimate unhappiness for them all. For example, in one story they slap dots and stars on one another, depending on their own personal opinions of the worth of each fellow Wemmick. Some Wemmicks have all stars and are admired and loved. Some have all dots and are despised. Some have a mixture and strive hard to get more stars than dots.
In another story the little Wemmick folk have decided that boxes and balls are awesome—and the ones who have the most boxes and balls are the BEST. So they all scurry around doing everything in their power to get as many boxes and balls as possible. Their relationships don’t matter so much—it’s all about boxes and balls, after all. If you have to tromp on another silly Wemmick to get more of what you want, then go ahead and do it.
The only ones who are able to escape the nonsensical dorkiness of it all are the ones who get a higher perspective from Someone so much greater than any of the Wemmicks. Someone wiser. Someone Who knows the Truth. Those Wemmicks go to the Woodcarver and discover the futility of Wemmick ways. They remain Wemmicks. But they are Wemmicks with a hint of wisdom. Wisdom that comes, not from inside themselves, because no wisdom resides there—but wisdom that comes from “above.”
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. (James 3:19)
We are Wemmicks
Lucado does an amazing job of capturing the foibles of human beings through his Wemmick analogies. The thing that strikes me most about his stories is how the PERSPECTIVE of Wemmicks is contrasted with the PERSPECTIVE of the Woodcarver. On the one hand you have the shallow, short sighted, self-focused, tunnel-visioned, nit-witted viewpoint of the wooden creature. A created thing, after all.
On the other hand you have the eternal, long-range, selfless, peaceful, controlled and balanced viewpoint of the Creator. The reader gets to see the story of the Wemmicks from that higher perspective, and we can grasp the depth of the stupidity of the created. What is even more amusing is how smart and wise and great these childish Wemmicks think they are. They revel in their ludicrous philosophies, believing themselves to be “above” the Woodcarver Himself.
Foolish with a capital F. Yet, that is what we are. Every single one of us. And that is where we will remain as long as we cling like rabid dogs to our pride.
The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor. (Proverbs 15:33)
God makes it crystal clear that humans who fear HIM rather than other Wemmicks and their Wemmick philosophies will grow in wisdom. He also makes the point that the only way to truly be honorable is to be humble. The prideful Wemmicks are far from admirable. Instead, we find them laughable. It’s the humble Wemmicks to whom we gravitate in admiration.
Visionary Women and Wemmicks
This whole blog is about SEEING. Recognizing the dramatically clear contrast between our Wemmickness and His Majesty. When we can’t see, we flounder in darkness, powerlessness, and futility of life. On the other hand, when we see things from His eternal perspective, we are set free from our Wemmick selves and find new life and hope rooted in reality and wisdom.
It’s about humbling ourselves—and discovering honor. It’s about becoming all that the Creator created us to be! And ultimately, as we embrace Truth found in God’s Word, we find ourselves becoming more and more “real” and less and less “wooden.”
And one day in the not-so-far-distant-future, we will wake up from this dream and find ourselves in brand new bodies. No longer Wemmicks, we will find ourselves as God sees us. Regal. Daughters of the King. Princesses. Royalty.
We will finally be truly and completely REAL.
(By the way, if you’ve never had the delight of reading a Wemmick story to your children, you can find oodles of them HERE. They make great birthday gifts!)
What a beautiful blog post. It definitely helps put our own lives into perspective. God’s perspective!
Loved this, Natalie. It’s so important to have an ultimate purpose behind a blog. And this is the best one…seeking the wisdom of God, not
man.
Those Wemmicks need to be more epistemologically self-conscious. So do we. Thanks for the book suggestions…I got copies of Lucado’s picture books after reading about them in your ebook.
As I dig around on blogs I recalling coming across the term Wemmick from time to time. I never really thought much about it. Until seeing this posting! I LOVE all of Max Lucado’s books & began getting a lot of his children’s books 8 year ago. I was SUPER excited that he began writing for kids! As finances got tighter I had to cut books form our budget and never had the chance to see the Wemmick series. But now I know what my children will be getting for Christmas this year! What a great concept and fabulous way for kids to learn about looking toward God & not their peers (of others) to see what the right things is for them to do in certain situations. I am already visualizing a “curriculum” based around these books! After a little research I noted that Godtube there is mention of these being available on VHS/DVD as well….good things!
THANK YOU for explaining this. You’ve made my day….
I have never heard of these stories. Reading your blog posts I wondered what the term meant and went looking. Not until I came to this post did I understand. Thank you for the review. They sound wonderful for my grandchildren.