Steel Magolia Wisdom

Sally Field:  "Don't you realize Shelby that you could lose your life?" 

Julia Roberts:  "Mamma, I'd rather have 30 minutes of joy that an empty life." 

I was trying to get to the bathroom of all places--but my wife was insistent that I remain long enough to hear what she thought was one of the most important lines in the movie.  There are many pressures in life!  Then I finally heard the lines from above--and I disagreed--not the best line in this movie, but any movie--top ten anyway.  In Steel Magnolias, Shelby (Julia Roberts) was to have a baby -- even at the life risk posed for her as diabetic.  We now know that she dies a few years after giving birth--the worst nightmare came true!  Did that negate her wisdom that what you give your life for also gives the meaning in your life?

Jesus was certainly clear--that no greater gift could be given than to give your life for somebody else.  And we came to see that Jesus was also talking about himself and his death on the cross.  As we move into fall months--streaming toward the holidays as the stores remind us--what are we willing to give our life for?

Now, the real story is that when we lived in Louisiana, a group of our friends drove down to where the movie was being filmed and got into the group shots--and some of the characters--like the physician, the soloist at the wedding, the little girl who dashes off the porch at the beginning--to name just a few.  Of course, we loved seeing the movie with all of them in it.  No remorse at all that we missed out.  The real story is what happens when we actually play a part in God's story and do more than just act in our lives--but rather--find even small ways to live into the sacred plot that God has given us--knowing that he wrote himself into it with his Son.