by Sabeth Kapahu

When Toy Story (1995) first premiered, I was just old enough to be too cool to watch it, but young enough to remember its breakthrough into all things pop culture. Fast forward twenty-four years when Toy Story 4 (2019) hit the screens, and now has just won the Academy Award for best animated feature (2020), now a mom of four kids (seven years old and under) was inundated with its premier. This time around it not only exploded into all things pop culture, but also all over my home. Each of my kids dressed up as a character from the movie for Halloween, and received replicas of said characters for Christmas.

Preparing our household for the epic finale of this journey spanning two decades which unfolded the realities of friendship, loyalty, and growing up, we watched all the Toy Story movies in succession, as well as extras and interviews.

Now that I have girls of my own, Bo-Peep’s character caught my attention like never before; and, of course, captivated their hearts from her first appearance on the screen.

I loved the moment when Woody and Bo first reconnect after years apart, after Bo-Peep’s departure from Molly’s room on a dark and rainy night. Their first moments back together were magical as they stared into each other’s eyes in a moment of playful bliss, and then were quickly caught up in the thrill of escaping the busy playground. They greet each other with joyful delight and simultaneously say “You’re a lost toy?” Bo-Peep’s reaction is one of empowered relief, “Oh that’s great!” in stark contrast to Woody’s concern, “Oh that’s awful!”

Bo-Peep was once a source of strength and comfort for a little girl named Molly. When Molly grew into the next phase of childhood, where the dark wasn’t as terrifying, and Barbies were better than lampstands, Bo-peep left the story (until episode 4). Woody lived his whole cowboy career in the sacred space of being needed by Andy. He was the tangible source of comfort and reassurance that comes from always having your partner in hand, and the freedom to be wherever your imagination could take you (until episode 3).

He is not the front runner anymore, and Bo-peep has re-entered with a transformed perspective portrayed in all her details, including her multipurpose cape, stylish jumper, and bandaged arm. She has lived a little and is proud to portray it. But she is still not alone. Her sheep continue to be her prized companions, meaning everything to her. So much so that she risks her life and heads back into the familiar treacherous aisles of Second Chance Antiques.

And this is how my girls have come to identify with their beloved Bo-Peep: feminine, strong, clever, fearless, and independent. But still, in deep need of companionship, and forever tied to a past of belonging.

We live in a culture and time of history when women are empowered by independence and, in some sense, by being lost. There is a certain satisfaction that comes with not being held back by a specific role, person, or stereotype. But we also live in a time of history where loneliness is at its highest and friendships, the kind that are deep and lasting, are fewer and farther between.

So how do I teach my girls who are watching this story, identifying with Bo-Peep’s femininity and strength that although there is great joy in seasons of  independence, we can find a more sustaining and life-changing strength from being found and belonging to a life-long community?

I usher them back to The Word.

Luke chapter 15 is a trilogy of parables that oddly enough Bo-Peep and her sheep fit right into. Jesus talks to Pharisees, grumbling about  the way he spends his time with tax collectors and sinners. They weren’t used to these “lost toys” within their community.

Jesus tells them of the Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Prodigal Son. They are stories that hit close to home for these men. Even though they had separated themselves from the common class citizens, they were well acquainted with the relationship of shepherds to their sheep, the value of coin, and the chasm between the faithful and those who have turned towards a squandering lifestyle.

What Jesus wants them to understand is the value in being found, every last sheep, coin, and human, because each one is valuable to Him. The shepherd doesn’t just walk to the sheep and tell it to come back. He picks it up and carries it on his shoulders back into the flock. The woman doesn’t brush off just one measly coin but searches high and low until it is found. And, the father who welcomes his wayward son home rejoices at his return without hesitation or judgment on what crazy life he has just come from. What matters is that his son is no longer lost.

I don’t know if the sheep strayed away to explore independence (think Shaun from Shaun the Sheep) or if the coin came to life (think Forky) and tried to run away. But we can put tangible feelings and emotions into the actions of the prodigal son. Although he had a home and place to belong, he wanted to explore independence.

Bo-Peep is so excited about not belonging to anybody, but the reality is that toys are made to belong to somebody, and so are we. Freedom comes in being purposeful and hanging on to that purpose no matter what the season. When we choose the “do whatever we want” way, we will eventually get lonely.

Although she passionately embraces her new life of independence, at the end of the story, she comes back to a place of belonging. It might not look like it did in Molly’s room. But she has remembered the purpose of caring and being cared for.

You see, the thing about life is that as fun-and-fancy-free as independence might make us feel, unless it brings us closer to our purpose and call it will eventually lead us to loneliness.

We can learn from Bo-Peep, from Jesus' parables, and from examining history, that relationship is at the heart of God's Kingdom. It is imperative to said kingdom that we are found and in being found, belong, and in belonging, live out our destiny, the one that only we can live.

May we shepherd the sheep in our fold with intention. May we remind them that their calling is unique. May we prepare them for the profound freedom of stepping into a lifestyle of being found. Let us remember that we cannot shepherd others if we have not first revealed in being found by The Shepherd ourselves.

Resources

We’ve created a free downloadable PDF to explore the article deeper. It contains discussion questions about the topic in general terms that will give you a jumping-off point for beginning a conversation.

The second page contains a way to see the topic from a biblical perspective.

And finally, to go deeper into the subject, we have chosen a few curated resources to explore from other authors’ and thinkers’ research or perspectives.

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WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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