Hope from The Help

I went to see the movie,  "The Help", with some lady friends.  My husband and I had been to the movies a couple months before and I saw the poster for it and instantly knew I HAD to see that movie.  I did not realize it was a popular book.

It is a story about the injustice of segregation and all of the fallout that happens when someone challenges that.  How people live in a way to consider themselves better than others or turn a blind eye when things seem to really be "just fine" with their world and yet cruelty and hatred abound in it's most sinister disguise, "morality" and "high society".

The character, Aibileen, has been taking care of white folk's children since she was 14 years old. The movie starts off with her telling her tales of life as a housekeeper and caretaker of children. One of the things she narrates as you watch her just loving on this child was,  "Babies LOVE big thighs"... which immediately made my heart warm to this character!  Hey... I have big thighs! She holds the child in her arms and looks at her and says, "You's kind, you's smart, you's important."  The child repeats these things back to her using the same pronunciation of the words.  

Aibileen worries for this child, because she's not beautiful and she's a bit chubby. She knows that her employer and their high society bridge playing friends don't take well to ugly, chubby children OR women. Which plays out as you see the mother barely loving her child throughout the movie and how people who don't "fit in" are treated.  

Then we meet Skeeter, who fits in only because she was "born in". You learn, however, that she really doesn't fit in. Her friends tolerate her, until she pushes the limits, and challenges THEIR foundation of beliefs. Then you get to see how very unfriendly these "friends" can be.  She is not married, she lacks the social graces that her peers have "perfected", and she cares about things that these women just avoid talking about altogether.  Equality for one. 

Skeeter can not understand what has happened to HER caretaker.  She has mysteriously disappeared and she cannot get the answers she longs to get from her family or friends. No one wants to talk about why she left!  In one part of the movie, you look back to how Skeeter's  caretaker spoke love into her and helped to give her the courage she would need to stand up to injustices and the status quo as she grew older.  Skeeter begins an adventure with assistance from "The Help" of writing a book to share the injustices of her society.

I would certainly like to believe that these injustices are all part of the American past. They most certainly are not. They are alive and well today. They often just change faces. They are part of humanity at it's worst.  It is how we have NOT embraced God in us.  Jesus often talked of little children.  But it is interesting how He also compared little children to adults.  I wonder if he even made a distinction? I think He was looking at hearts rather than ages.

^{Mark 9:33} They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ³⁴ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

 ³⁵ Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

 ³⁶ He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWHp2Bn0kdQ

    
 I would like to be more like Aibileen. I already have the big thighs!!  I'm indeed no one of any importance in society. I just want to speak love and worth into others.  Because people HAVE WORTH to God.  Especially the ones who have been made to feel like they have none for whatever reason other people have made them feel so.  I want to be "The Help".