friends…

Driving Miss Daisy is a great movie!  If you have not ever seen this movie take some time to watch it.  It is a classic, it won four academy awards.  There are a lot of wonderful lessons about people, racism, getting old and friendship.  As I watched it again the other night I laughed, got angry, and was reminded about how dear and important are our friendship.

There are a lot of wonderful scenes and words spoken in this movie, but my favorite one was when she was getting old and needing a lot of help and Hoke, her driver, was the only person around for her.  She had finally come to a place in her life where she grabs his hand and says to him, “Hoke, you are my best friend.”

Her family didn’t have much patience with her, but Hoke was there in good weather and in bad.  He was there for her when she didn’t want him around. He drove her and cared for her like no one else and even when her prejudice would come out he was still loyal and caring.  Over time she began to love this black man as a family member.  Then when they were both too old to drive and to live by themselves, he still would go see Miss Daisy in the nursing home weekly and he would talk with her and feed her.  He loved her, and she fell in love with him.

The lesson for me is how am I loving others?  Am I showing even my neighbors that I care for them, and if I am, will it just be a matter of time that they trust me and count on me and I become a friend?  My prayer is that God would use my friendships to draw others to Him.

Hoke was her driver, how will God use you?

John 15:13 (NIV)  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.