#8: Buzz Lightyear, Worth, The Difference, and Us - Written Not With Ink

As I was watching Toy Story with one of my classes yesterday, I had some interesting thoughts. Even though I’ve seen the parts of the movie I show in class like 150 times, I saw new things in the clips that I hadn’t seen before. Just goes to show you (and those of you who know me well know that this is true) I’m a pretty slow learner. The key word there, though, isn’t slow, it’s learner. Regardless of our individual abilities, we must each seek to continue to learn, that we may know the truth and be truly free. Let me tell you about some of the truths that I saw tonight.

Throughout the movie Toy Story, Buzz Lightyear has bouts of skewed self-esteem. When we first encounter Buzz, he is under the impression that he is not a toy, but an actual Space Ranger—a defender of the galaxy. His self-perception is not only inaccurate, it is absurd. But it is, nevertheless, what he believes. As such, he is egocentric and wastes his time in mostly selfish pursuits that even if completed will not have the positive outcomes that he expects (see: fixing his CARDBOARD!!! spaceship so that he can get to someplace called “Sector 12”). His main problem is that he does not see things as they really are; he equates his inherent value with his perceived personal utility. And he thinks he is pretty freaking useful, since after all he does “protect the galaxy from the threat of invasion by the evil Emperor Zurg, sworn enemy of the galactic alliance!”

Buzz’s perception of his own usefulness, and by association his view of his inherent worth, is shattered when he sees a Buzz Lightyear commercial on television and realizes that he is, in fact, a toy. His gigantic, swollen ego bursts and sends him into a downward spiral of hopelessness and depression. He feels useless. In his own words, he “can’t help anyone. [He’s] just a toy—a stupid, little, insignificant toy.” Even after he receives numerous gestures of friendship from others (Sid’s toys’ fixing his arm, Woody’s admission that he needs Buzz, etc.), he remains in a depressive funk. Out of these depths, he makes the following statement in response to Woody’s suggestion that they get out of Sid’s house and back over to Andy’s ASAP: “Andy’s house, Sid’s house—what’s the difference?”

The reality is that there is a huge difference; it is Andy’s love. While Sid seeks to mangle toys and turn them into mutated things they were never intended to be, Andy helps his toys to fill the measure of their creation on a daily basis. (And now I say, is there not a type in this thing?) Woody tells Buzz, “Over in that house, there is a kid who thinks you’re the greatest. And it’s not because you’re a Space Ranger, pal. It’s because you’re a toy; you are his toy.” Still mired in depression, Buzz responds, “Why would Andy want me?” (Ever ask yourself a similar question?) Woody’s aforementioned statement starts Buzz on the path to seeing the truth. In a telling moment of personal revelation, Buzz looks at the bottom of his foot and sees the name “ANDY” written on it in all caps. He begins to realize that his genuine worth has less to do with who his is than with whose he is. With this increased understanding, he and Woody are able to escape the hell of Sid’s house, overcome obstacles and adversity, and arrive safely in the arms of Andy’s love.

Aside from the lessons we learn together in class about learning to share control, improving communication, etc. from watching Woody’s behavior in Toy Story, I hope that each of us recognizes that the house we are in does make a difference. Jesus has said that He has a place ready for us in His Father’s house and that He wants us to live there with Him forever. He promises, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3). Since this is the case, why would we even stop to consider taking up residence in Satan’s house, Sid’s house, or any other house for that matter? Where Jesus is, I desire to be also.

Additionally, I hope we can also recognize how Buzz-like we often are in our self-perceptions (note: see post #5 for more on "self-" words). We either think too highly of ourselves because we focus on what we can do, or we think too little of ourselves because we focus on what we can’t do. Let us all take a step back, as Buzz did, and see where our worth really comes from. It has little to do with who we are; rather, it comes from whose we are. We may not have a name written in permanent marker on our feet, but make no mistake about it - we have been bought with a price. That price was the blood of a God, an infinite and eternal sacrifice. In our everyday lives, we often measure the value of things by the price someone is willing to pay for them. If we apply that principle to ourselves, we must consider the following: the God of the universe was willing to pay an infinite price for each of us. Thus, if we measure our worth by whose we are and the price He paid for us, we are compelled to acknowledge that each person’s individual worth is indeed infinite. It is also certain that there is truly a name placed upon the faithful, for in this way Christ doth seal them His. May His name be “written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone [or on our feet], but in fleshy tables of [our] heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3). I know that if it is we, like Buzz and Woody, will land safely in a loving embrace when we finally reach our desired destination.