Last week I took my kids to see the new Toy Story 4 movie. It was pretty cute, but one thing that caught my attention was the new little character “Forky.” Forky is a white plastic spork that came to life when little Bonnie gave it two google-y eyes, pipe cleaner arms, and a broken popsicle stick… all found things from the trash. Bonnie loved her new creation and named him “Forky.” Of course, it came to life and joined Woody and the beloved gang as the new toy. Not only new… but Bonnie’s favorite.
However, Forky kept running away from Bonnie and back to the trash. “I am trash!” He would explain. And Woody would follow him, digging him out of the garbage and say, “No! You are a toy!” Which was, in fact, his new identity.
This pattern continued until Woody carefully explained the value Forky had to Bonnie. I’m not sure exactly Woody’s words, but I will summarize it like this…
“Maybe you were trash, but now you have a new identity. I don’t care what you think you were; you’re a toy now. And, Bonnie loves you.”
Sound like a familiar parallel? It should because we do the same thing.
I would argue that some of us keep running away from the best that God has in store for us because we don’t know our own worth.
We don’t know, or maybe we just forget, that we were carefully created and are fiercely loved by our Creator.
Maybe our lifestyle, our faults, or our past mistakes make us feel like Forky… trash worthy. Unworthy to be called anything else or to be loved by anyone else.
Oh friends, see your true value.
You were created to be loved by the One who created it all. He wants you as you are but longs also to make you the best version of yourself.
We no longer need to go back to where we came from. No matter what past that was. We need to run to the One who wants to embrace us. Faults, imperfections, whatever we see… He does not. He sees His perfect creation.
When you know Jesus and put your life into his hands, the Bible says this… “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
No longer trash, or whatever other labels you may have given yourself, but a new creation.
When you stop running back to your old life and instead rush into His arms, there, you will find life. The life you never knew you always wanted.
