• Toy Story: Friendship

  Contributed by Ken Pell on Jun 23, 2012 (message contributor)

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  Scripture:  None

  Tags:  Friendship General

  Denomination: Nazarene

TOY STORY: FRIENDSHIP

"As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17)

Henry Ford said, "My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me."

And what's true of a good church is true of a good friend; they love you and they help you aspire to grow and be whole.

Have you ever watched the movie "Toy Story?" It's about friendship isn't it? At a superficial level it's about the loyalty that the toys have for their owner, Andy; but at a deeper level it's about how the toys themselves become friends and bond through adversity. At the center of the story is Woody and Buzz Lightyear. Woody could see more than the Buzz that was while Buzz could only see himself by the definition that was imposed upon him. It took time, adversity and ongoing friendship before Buzz began to emerge into the real potential that he possessed. While strapped to a rocket, it began to dawn on him that, to quote woody, "Its more cool to be a toy than it is a space ranger!"

That's a classic tale of friendship. You see, friendship, like any relationship, is messy. But friends who can look past the immediate flaws and see the real potential within are worth the effort. The real key, however, is not to FIND a friend like that -- it is to BE a friend like that!