Toys in the Attic

I took my kids to see Toy Story 3 last week (better late than never). In general I believe there should be a constitutional amendment banning sequels. There are a few exceptions (I think The Empire Strikes Back is better than Star Wars) but often each installment, each sequel is exponentially worse than the one before it. In case you need proof I offer up Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and every Highlander flick after the original. Violation of this amendment will result in a loss of citizenship and a year in the studio audience of the Steve Wilkos show. Yeah, I am that serious.
Needless to say I went to Toy Story 3 expecting very little. It was much better than I thought it would be. And yes, I even found some profound theological significance in it (then again, I can find profound theological significance in a stray dog walking down the street). No, Woody is not a stand-in for Jesus, though he does function as a sort of Messiah. Hmmmm, maybe there is something here...Woody as a cowboy Jesus...with a string hanging out of his back...and "Andy" etched into his boot...the possibilities are endless. Perhaps another time.
In case you have not seen Toy Story 3 I won't blow the ending (just remember "The Claw...the Claw) but I will share the relevant parts of the plot. Andy is grown up and headed off to college. His toys are in a box and his Mom tells him he has to decide what to do with them or she will. Andy has not played with his toys for quite sometime but he has a sentimental attachment to them. He opts to take Woody with him to college and puts Rex, the Potato Heads, Buzz, Jessie, Slinky, and the aliens in a garbage bag for storage in the attic. His Mom thinks it is garbage, the toys end up in the trash, then at a daycare/concentration camp for toys, before finding a new home.
Throughout the movie there is a running conversation about what toys are for. Woody thinks he and his friends should go to the attic and wait for Andy to have kids of his own. They are, after all, Andy's toys. Yet toys are meant to be played with and some of the characters believe they need to go to other children who will love them and use them. At the end of the movie Andy makes the difficult decision to let go of his toys, even Woody, and gives them to a little girl who knows how to take care of them.
As I was watching this I was reminded of the box of Star Wars trading cards I have stored away in my house. They probably are not worth much on the open market since my brother and I actually played with them. The value they possess is sentimental. I loved Star Wars as a kid (still do) and I won the whole collection from my younger brother in a game of poker. Yes, I am the older, smarter, better looking brother, but the game was fair. Fair, I tell you. I did not cheat him. He has no proof, no witnesses so don't listen to him when he whines about it.
Why is it that we tend to take that which is most important and most valuable to us and hide it away? Oh, we are generous, but only with the things we don't want. The items we consider junk, that we will give away. You would think that our desire would be to share with others those things that have brought joy and happiness to our lives. Nope. We keep the best for ourselves. Why? What are we afraid of? Losing part of ourselves?
What makes this behaviour really strange is that God, who has more incentive than you and I to hold onto the good stuff (just look at what we have done to God's Gulf of Mexico) freely shares the best God has with us. Think about it for a moment. We, humans, are the only life forms we are aware of for hundreds of millions of light years. We get the sunsets, the blackberries, the joy of children laughing, the touch of a lover. And we get love, straight from the source, God.
So, what do we do with the trinkets and bobbles and trading cards that have meaning for us? We put them in bags or boxes or cabinets so nothing bad happens to them. They are there, for us, when we want them. The rest of the world is out of luck. God must be so very happy, don't you think.
Today I have resolved to go home and let my kids share in the joy of my Star Wars trading cards (BTW, they love Star Wars as much as I do). I know, it is a rather modest gesture. But I hope that it is a step forward in the process of learning to share the good stuff in my life. Who knows, maybe some day I might even be willing to share myself with other people!