Combat Carl

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed.
-2 Corinthians 4:8–9

Welcome back friends!

Combat Carl doesn’t just walk into a scene: he announces himself in the third person!
And honestly, anyone who talks about himself with that much confidence deserves our attention.

I didn't realize this until it was pointed out to me, but we actually first see a Combat Carl action figure in the original Toy Story. Unfortunately, that particular Combat Carl has a rather explosive encounter with Sid. Things do not end well for him. (Yes, that's right...Sid blows up poor Combat Carl in the original Toy Story.)

But later, in Toy Story of Terror!, we meet another Combat Carl! This is the Combat Carl I remember!! This guy has seen some stuff too! He has been separated from his kid, Billy. He is trapped inside a creepy roadside motel. He has even lost one of his hands!

Yet Combat Carl keeps going.
Why? Because Combat Carl has a motto:
“Combat Carl never gives up. Combat Carl finds a way.”

Is talking to yourself in the third person a little unusual? Absolutely.
Does Combat Carl somehow make it work? Also absolutely!

What I love most is that Combat Carl doesn’t keep that encouragement to himself. When Jessie is terrified and must face her fear of being trapped inside a box, Combat Carl teaches her to repeat the words using her own name:
"Jessie never gives up. Jessie finds a way."

Combat Carl’s courage becomes Jessie’s courage.

Sometimes we need someone like that in our lives; someone who reminds us of the truth when fear, disappointment, or exhaustion makes it difficult to remember for ourselves.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:8–9:
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed.

Notice that Paul doesn’t pretend life is easy.

He says we may be pressed.
We may be perplexed.
We may feel persecuted.
We may even be struck down.
But we are not destroyed.

Every “but” in that passage matters!

Being pressed is not the same as being crushed. Being confused does not mean that we are without hope. Feeling alone does not mean that God has abandoned us. And being knocked down does not mean that our story is over.

Combat Carl was missing a hand, separated from his kid, and trapped in a motel, but he was still looking for a way forward.

What about you, friend?

Have you been knocked down recently?

Are you facing something that has left you confused, discouraged, or wondering how you will keep going?

Maybe you need to remind yourself of the truth today. You don’t necessarily have to say it in the third person, LOL, but if that helps, Combat Carl certainly isn’t going to judge you!

Say your name and remind yourself:
I may be pressed, BUT I am not crushed.
I may be confused, BUT I am not without hope.
I may have been knocked down, BUT through God, I am not destroyed.

For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.
-Proverbs 24:16

You may have fallen, BUT you can rise again.

You may have experienced a setback, BUT that setback does not get to write the final sentence of your story.

And maybe, once you are standing again, God will use you to help someone else find the courage to stand too. Combat Carl didn’t just find a way for himself: he helped Jessie believe that she could find a way forward as well.

So, here is my challenge for you today:
Don’t give up.

Keep trusting God. Keep doing what is right.
Keep taking the next faithful step-even if it is a small one.
Combat Carl never gives up. Combat Carl finds a way.
And followers of Jesus keep going because we know that God has not let go of us.
-Zac

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. -Galatians 6:9