Bluey is a great TV show. The music is excellent to listen to, often referencing classical compositions. The visuals are compelling and rich. And the stories are frequently moving. Its primary audience is children, yet it also speaks to adults in surprising ways. I’ve enjoyed watching it for the past few years, and I’ve loved all the lessons it shares, such as:

• Obey your parents, not because they’re bigger than you or bossy but because they have your best interests at heart. We learn that in “Tina” and “Show and Tell.”
• Patience is a virtue, and it’s important to obey the Golden Rule. “Slide” and “Army” teach us this lesson.
• Self-sacrifice shows true love. We see that in “Hairdressers” and “Fancy Restaurant.”
• There’s a difference between meekness and weakness. “Circus” and “Granny Mobile” demonstrate this dichotomy.
• The truth will set you free, as we discover in “Bus,” “Family Meeting,” and “Fairytale.”
• Gratitude and appreciation are highlighted in “Barbecue.”
• “Copycat” teaches us that this life is temporary, and it’s sad when it ends.
• The importance of humility and the dangers of pride are revealed in “Library” and “Cricket.”

The thing is that there’s a throughline in all of these lessons. Can you tell what it is? That’s what I want to talk about in this article.

The Throughline of Bluey

None of the virtues we see in Bluey are the product of an ideology that puts oneself first. Quite the contrary. Bandit, Chili, Wendy, and Lucky’s Dad all have a selfless way of thinking that is refreshing and wonderful. What is at the core of it? Christianity. Much like the titular character’s name, Bluey Christine Heeler, Christ is hidden right at the show’s center.

Let’s consider the lessons above through that lens:

• Obedience: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)
• Patience: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)
• Self-Sacrifice: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
• Meekness: “I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” (Ether 12:27)
• Truth: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
• Gratitude: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
• Life and Death: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26)
• Humility: Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” (Proverbs 16:18-19)

Bluey is an exceptionally Christian TV show, teaching important lessons. And yet it lacks something.

The Difference Between Bluey and The Sound of Music

This was brought up to me by a fantastic reader of mine named Chris. He sent me a message through my Contact Form asking me if I like Bluey or The Sound of Music better. I said The Sound of Music, even though I absolutely adore Bluey. He asked quite a few follow-up questions and helped me realize that the main reason I love The Sound of Music is because of its unabashed Christianity. It connects its goodness to the source from which it comes.

When Maria realizes she is in love with Captain Georg von Trapp, and he loves her, too, she credits God for this sudden turn in her life toward happiness. She thought she was destined to devote her life to God as a Nun, but she instead learns that she is to devote her life to a wonderful family of seven children by marrying their widowed father. And she sings about the fact that she doesn’t deserve such a marvelous blessing, but she must have done something good in her childhood for God to give her everything she’s ever wanted.

She’s not such a bad soul as she makes herself out to be, though. She’s certainly unorthodox in many of her mannerisms, but those only serve to make everyone around her fall in love with her. For example, she asks the von Trapp family to thank the Lord before eating dinner during her first meal with them. She wants to learn all the von Trapp children’s names in order to pray for each one by name before going to bed. She shows mercy to the children and demonstrates the Golden Rule at every turn, even when they’re initially rude to her.

In other words, The Sound of Music is drenched in Christianity, and it holds Jesus Christ up as the ultimate source of goodness. Anyone who watches this film will come away knowing both how we should act and why. A good TV show like Bluey only shows the how without ever connecting it to the why.

Why It’s Important to Connect Lessons to Their Source

Bluey is the best the world has to offer right now. It’s clean, wholesome, and fun. It teaches valuable life lessons in the form of games that parents play with their children. But it has its limitations.

“Dunny” shows that the standards the Heelers live by are not universal, and there’s no rock-solid reason why they should uphold them. The highest authority they can appeal to is the Queen of England. “The Dump” admits that Bandit doesn’t know everything about incredibly important topics like where his children were before they were born. The best he has to offer is, “You’ll have to figure that out for yourself.” That sounds a lot like living your truth instead of finding the truth.

Life is not always clean and simple. When our kids get out into the real world and discover that not everyone treats them kindly or obeys the lessons that Bandit and Chili did their best to instill in their children, how will they react? Unfortunately, even a good show like Bluey doesn’t prepare young people for a situation like that.

Why do I think that a G-rated musical from 1965 does a better job than Bluey? Because it drills down through the superficial layers of asking people to be good for goodness’ sake and it asks us to be good for Christ’s sake. No wise person would ever attempt to build a skyscraper without first drilling down and connecting its foundation to bedrock. That’s why we must build the foundation of our lives on something stable and unchanging: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

When life gets incredibly difficult and cherished parts of us are stripped away, what will be left? What do we know with absolute certainty? If we have a hard time answering that question, then we’ll likely crumble when truly hard times come. A classic film like The Sound of Music is built on a sure foundation, and it shows the Rock it is built on. Bluey doesn’t show us what foundation it has. It’s content to show us the fruits of Christianity without acknowledging the tree from which they spring.

Religion may seem too old and stuffy to provide any answers to life’s biggest questions. However, I promise that it does. We may think we’ve outgrown Christianity or that it’s only for our grandparents, but it is as necessary today as it has always been, especially as we prepare for what’s coming.

Like I said at the beginning, Bluey is a great TV show, and I don’t want to disparage it at all. I just hope that we can all discover the strength that comes from knowing the right reason to live, not just the right way to live. Let’s be like Bluey Christine Heeler, find our ears, and listen to what the very God who created this world has to say about where we were before this life, what we should be doing while we’re here, and where we’re going after. Then we can be healed by the true-blue Master Healer, Jesus Christ.

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

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