The toys are back. And this time, change comes knocking in the shape of a shiny new tablet named Lilypad.
In Toy Story 5, Woody, Buzz, and Jessie face a familiar fear. Something new arrives, and it threatens to pull their little community apart. We know that feeling, don’t we? New technology. Busy schedules. Seasons that shift faster than we’d like. A quiet voice whispers that we’d be just fine going it alone.
But the heart of these stories has never changed. The toys survive every twist for one simple reason. They refuse to let go of each other.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up… Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” — Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Long before Pixar, the writer of Ecclesiastes understood the power of showing up for each other. Life gets heavy. We stumble. And when we do, we were never meant to lie there alone.
Think about Woody. For years he tried to carry every burden by himself. He struggled to trust the others with the load. Yet the gang made it through moving trucks, yard sales, and one child growing up, because they held on tight. Together they could face anything.
That’s the invitation for us too. When new challenges arrive, we don’t stand firm on our own. We stand firm side by side.
And notice that third strand. A cord of two is strong, but a cord of three is not quickly broken. For a community of faith, that third strand is the presence of God, woven right through our friendships. He makes our bonds stronger than we could ever make them alone. This is the beauty of the church. We belong to each other, and we belong to Him.
So who has lifted you up when you fell? And who might need you to be their second strand this week? Maybe it’s a phone call you keep meaning to make. Maybe it’s a meal for a neighbor walking through a hard season. Maybe it’s simply showing up.
Growing older and facing change doesn’t mean drifting apart. It means holding on tighter and reaching out wider.
This Week…
Reach out to one person who lifts you up, and one person you can lift. Then watch how God strengthens the cord between you.
Two really are better than one.
