Driving Miss Daisy - Encouragement Café - June 6, 2014

Driving Miss Daisy

Café Menu for Friday, June 6, 2014

Today’s Special is: Hope That Transforms

Carefully prepared just for you by your friend, Dawn Aldrich

Main Ingredient:

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.

Psalm 33:18 NIV

Entrée:

Driving Miss Daisy (my aunt) isn't always pleasant. She's stubborn and selfish, ornery and opinionated, just like Jessica Tandy's character in the 1989 movie by the same name. Driving her to doctor appointments and to Walmart for her monthly shopping tries my patience every time.

I temper my conversation after Morgan Freeman's character by keeping my mouth shut and agreeing with a "Yes Ma'am" and "Mm mm hm mm." Besides, speaking my mind only gets me into trouble and proves a waste of time because she doesn't listen anyway.

One day we talked about brokenness and how hurt and pain come with the wound and how sometimes we're responsible for it all. We agreed that if we listen, do what we ought rather than what we want, the wound never appears and we remain whole.

We traced the lines that spelled truth right there in the x-rays hanging in the light; the lines that bore witness to her brokenness and pain. The line that spoke of all the hard-lesson days full of regret and caused her knees to bend, buckle, and fall to the floor beside her bed.

Frustrating days followed, impatiently hemmed in prayer and hung on hope. Hope for healing of the wound, restored wholeness and independence. Hope prevailed even when the doctor promised deformity, at best and even when I doubted.

But she wrapped her wound up tight in hope and presented it to the Healer and let him do His work. The One who knows all about hurt and pain, wounds and scars and lines that speak of brokenness. He bore all those things so He gets it and He takes it.

It's amazing to watch the Healer work - transforming all the broken things that misshape and handicap our form and rattle the mind of a doctor who shakes his head, amazed by the lines that tell the truth.

And the truth is this: God is always the God of hope who takes our brokenness and transforms it into something whole. Whether now or later, His restoration always comes.

And I hate to admit this, but Miss Daisy was right. Her stubborn hope realigned my faith.

I'm grateful for a fresh hope. A hope that knows God's love reaches down, transforms our brokenness, restores wholeness even in stubborn hearts. God's love never fails. 

Take Out:

It takes a special patience to minister to the elderly widow. They’re lonely and sometimes very set in their ways. But, if you listen well, they hold great wisdom and faith. Next time you find yourself driving your own Miss Daisy to the store, the doctor’s office, or just around town, look beyond their idiosyncrasies and you might just find a nugget of wisdom.

Dessert:

Abba-Father, thank You for transforming our brokenness into something whole and beautiful. Today, we especially uphold the widows and the lonely. Prick our hearts to minister to them in real and tangible ways. Grant us Your eyes to see them as You see them and to glean those nuggets of faith and wisdom their years have grown. Amen.

© 2014 by Dawn Aldrich. All rights reserved.

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