In the world of Jim Henson’s The Muppets there is one character who has a claim to fame like none of the others. Gonzo.
Even his name means extreme, unconventional, and bizarre. He is like the other characters in that he is driven to perform and upstage his mates. However, he takes on feats such as shooting himself out of a cannon, wrestling a brick, and even holding up a baby grand in one hand and figuring the 9’s multiplication table in the other, all while balancing in a hammock. None of his attempts end well, yet he seems driven to keep trying.
He is also in love with a chicken.
Even in all this, his real claim to fame is that no one, not even himself, knows exactly what he is. They don’t know his species. Sadly, what the others do call him are other names: weirdo, whatever, and freak. Even his perspective of events is unusual. In The Muppet Movie, as they are traveling towards Hollywood and their dream of making it in the big time, their car breaks down in the desert. They pull off to the shoulder and set up camp. Each one is bidding a tearful and very disappointed “goodbye” to their dreams. Gonzo, however, moves even further into the wilderness and gazes up into the night sky. He gets lost in the stars and sings the most beautiful ballad of the entire movie crooning, “I’ve never been there, but I know the way. I’m going to go back there some day.” This very much highlights just how different is Gonzo.
Fast forward 30 years to another Muppet movie: Muppets from Space. In this movie we are presented with a very different Gonzo. He is searching his soul for meaning and purpose. He laments being so different and not having one single person who looks or acts like him. He even calls himself extinct. At one point, he wakes up screaming from a nightmare about Noah leaving him behind because he is only one and not two. It is in this movie we discover that Gonzo is, in fact, an alien from outer space. His family lost him years ago and has been searching for him all this time! They land their spaceship at Cape Doom and, after confirming his identity, they put on a stage show complete with bestowing upon him their highest honor: shooting him out of a cannon! Suddenly, it all makes sense! These creatures look like him, sound like him, act like him! He is completely validated to the world and to himself.
Most importantly, no one was calling him freak or weirdo or whatever.
They were calling him Brother. Brother! What a scene!
Behind the scenes, Gonzo’s creator, Jim, and his performer, Dave, knew all along that he was an alien. That ballad from the first movie? That was our first clue. They had decided from his very beginning what he was and were waiting for the perfect time to reveal his true identity.
And so it is with us. Psalm 139 tells us that every day planned for us has been written in God’s book. In Jeremiah we learn He knew us before we were born (1:5). He has a good plan to prosper us and give us hope and a future (29:11). He also says if we seek Him, we will find Him when we seek Him with all our hearts (29:13). He knows us because He created us. He validates us. To find our identity and our purpose, we must seek the One who knows all things. It is in finding Him that we find ourselves.
Response:
Spend some time talking with Father God about your identity. Ask for the wisdom to separate His Truth from your self-perception.
What does He call you? Write down what you see or hear.
~ Stephanie Rogers, writer
