A Friend in Me

Most of us remember the song from Toy Story:

“You’ve got a friend in me… When the road looks rough ahead, and you’re miles and miles from your nice warm bed…”

It’s catchy. It’s comforting. But it’s also profound. Because deep inside each of us is the desire for a friend—one who won’t leave, won’t forget, and won’t give up on us when something newer, shinier, or easier comes along.

In Toy Story, Woody isn’t just a cowboy doll, and Buzz Lightyear isn’t just a flashy action figure. Over time, we come to see the deeper truth: the toys were never just toys. They were beloved companions.

They were chosen.

Held.

Loved.

Not because of what they could do—but because of who they were to their child, Andy.

And when Andy heads off to college in Toy Story 3, he does something beautiful: he passes those toys on to a little girl named Bonnie. Not to discard them, but to give them a new beginning—because they still mattered. Because they were loved.

As we celebrate your graduation I want to leave you with this one truth:

You are more than your function. You are more than your accomplishments. You are loved as you are

This article is titled “A Friend in Me”, It’s about the kind of friend we find in Jesus—one who stays when others walk away, one who heals what is broken, and one who gives purpose to what the world might call worn-out or forgotten.

A Friend Who Stays

John 15:13–15 (NIV)

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends… I no longer call you servants… Instead, I have called you friends.”

In Toy Story, Woody is Andy’s favorite toy. He knows who he belongs to—his name is written on the bottom of his boot. But then Buzz Lightyear arrives—flashy, futuristic, and full of gadgets. Woody fears he’s being replaced.

Haven’t we all felt that way?

• Maybe a friend or loved one turned their attention elsewhere.

• Maybe your role changed—at work, at church, or even in your own family—and you started to wonder, “Am I still valuable?”

But Jesus says, “I call you friend.”

He doesn’t say, “I’ll be your friend as long as you’re useful, shiny, or perfect.”

He says, “I’ll lay down my life for you.”

That’s not conditional. That’s covenant.

You Are More Than What You Do

There will be resumes. Titles. Job offers—or maybe, waiting rooms.

There will be applause—and sometimes, silence.

The world will try to measure you by your performance, your status, or your salary. But let me remind you: You are not your GPA. You are not your major. You are not your job title.

You are a child of God.

You are a beloved companion.

You are loved because of who you are—not what you do.

In Toy Story, Woody worried about being replaced. He asked, “What if I’m not the favorite anymore?” But the truth was, Andy loved him—not because he could talk or save the day, but because he belonged to him.

So do you.

God has written His name on your life—just like Andy’s name on Woody’s boot.

“So, What Do You Do?”

Have you ever noticed how the first thing people ask when they meet someone new is, “So, what do you do?”

It’s almost automatic. And we tend to answer with our job titles—as if our occupation is the core of who we are.

But what happens when the job changes? What happens when the title is gone?

Are we still valuable?

Psychology calls this “role engulfment”—a term that means people become so identified with their roles (like “doctor,” “pastor,” “student,” or “athlete”) that when the role ends, they feel lost.

• Athletes who retire often struggle with depression because their identity was so tied to their sport.

• Graduates may feel adrift, or lost, after leaving the structure of school.

• Even parents sometimes experience this when their kids grow up and leave home.

Dr. Brene Brown, a research professor and author, writes:

“When we tie our self-worth to what we produce or achieve, we become hostage to performance.”

But your worth was never meant to hang on your output.

You are not your résumé.

You are not your degree.

You are not just what you do.

You are someone’s child—God’s child.

And He doesn’t ask for your LinkedIn profile—He calls you friend (John 15:15).

Do you see the value in who you are?

There’s a well-known story from Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers) who once visited a young boy paralyzed from the neck down. The boy didn’t want to meet Mr. Rogers because he felt he couldn’t do anything to impress him. But Mr. Rogers said to the boy, “Will you do something for me? Will you pray for me?” The boy was surprised. “Me? Pray for you?” Mr. Rogers said, “Yes, because I think someone like you, who is close to God, must be able to do that very well.”

Fred Rogers didn’t see the boy for what he could do—he saw the value in who he was.

Broken but Beloved

Luke 15:4–7 – The Parable of the Lost Sheep

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”

In Toy Story 2, Jessie the cowgirl fears abandonment. She was once loved by a child—until that child grew up. She was boxed up, forgotten. That’s a fear many of us share:

• What happens when I’m no longer young, fast, or admired?

  
  

• What happens when I’m broken by life, by decisions, or by time?

  
  

But God doesn’t discard broken things—He restores them.

Isaiah 61:1–3 tells us Jesus came “to bind up the brokenhearted… to give beauty instead of ashes.”

In God’s economy, the forgotten are found, the broken are mended, and the worn out are renewed.

No toy in Andy’s room was too old or too beat up to be loved. And no soul reading this is too far gone to be redeemed.

You’ve Been Chosen

Ephesians 1:4–5

“For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world… He predestined us for adoption…”

One of the most powerful scenes in Toy Story 3 is when Andy gives his beloved toys to a new child. He could have stored them in the attic. He could have thrown them away. But instead, he passed them on—entrusting them to someone who would love them as he did.

Why?

Because they still had purpose.

You may feel like your best days are behind you, but hear this today:

God is not done with you.

Your calling hasn’t expired.

You still have purpose—and you’ve been chosen.

Just as Andy saw value in every toy, God sees value in every life. He doesn’t look at your worn-out parts. He looks at your heart.

Passing It On

2 Timothy 2:2

“And the things you have heard me say… entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”

Just like the toys passed from one child to another, our lives are meant to be shared. Your story matters. Your journey has power. And the love you’ve received from Christ—the friend who stayed when others walked away—was never meant to stop with you.

In God’s kingdom, we’re not just restored for our sake—we’re restored so we can become friends to others.

Encouragers.

Mentors.

Witnesses.

You Are More Than What You Do—You Are a Beloved Partner

So as you graduate—whether with clear plans or lingering questions—remember this:

You are not stepping into the world to prove your worth.

You are stepping into a lifelong partnership with God.

You were created not just to succeed, but to steward—to bring heaven to earth.

From the beginning, God gave us that purpose.

We named the animals. We tended the garden. We managed the resources.

Not because we earned it—but because we were loved and trusted.

Your true purpose is not in a title. It’s in your trust.

Not in what you produce. But in how you partner with God to bring life, order, and beauty to the world.

The Peace of Purpose

Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, once said:

“Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.”

After the war, Frankl taught that people don’t find peace through power, fame, or comfort—but by living with a sense of meaning.

This aligns beautifully with our calling: we are not performers for God—we are partners with Him.

There’s a story of a man who retired from his high-powered career and became a gardener at a small church. When someone asked him if he felt like he had lost his purpose, he smiled and said:

“Not at all. I used to manage spreadsheets. Now I manage rosebushes. Either way, I’m still tending what God has entrusted to me.”

He had peace—not because of his status—but because he knew his life was still rooted in faithful partnership with the Creator.

That’s the kind of peace that comes when we know:

We are loved.

We are called.

We are not alone.

You are not just graduating into a career—you are stepping further into your identity:

A beloved companion, called to walk with God.

So go forward.

Not to prove, but to partner.

Not to earn, but to express the love you’ve already received.

And may others see in you what Andy saw in his toys, what the Father sees in you:

Not a tool.

Not a title.

But a beloved companion.

Walk in Your True Identity

As you move forward—into jobs, new schools, new cities—remember:

You are not stepping into the world to prove your value.

You are stepping into a life of faithful partnership with God.

You’ve got a Friend in Him.

And because of that, the world will have a friend in you.

Go live like the beloved companion you are.

Not to earn love, but to express the love you already have.

You’ve Got a Friend in Me

As we close, let me say this:

• If you feel broken—Jesus is the healer.

• If you feel forgotten—Jesus is the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to find you.

• If you feel like an old toy, left on the shelf—Jesus sees your purpose and calls you friend.

No one is too old. No one is too far gone.

You’ve got a Friend in Jesus.

And because of Him, someone else can say, “You’ve got a friend in me.”

“You’ve got troubles, and I’ve got ’em too… There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you… We stick together and see it through

“You’ve got a friend in me”