Tonight I saw a new favorite movie, The Secret Life of Bees. Its simplicity and honesty captured my heart and mind as it brought forth the idea that we all need and seek love, truth, a chance and guidance. Most of the characters struggled to grasp these realities or what should have been realities in their lives but weren’t. A few struggled in their giving since the recipients didn’t see the gift as unconditional. Some ignored the need of love and truth while others didn’t know what they were missing.
May was probably my favorite character. She had a twin, April, who had died earlier in her life and since then, May felt all the weight of the world on her. She made a wall of stones, her wailing wall, where she went to place notes when things were distressing her. But it was amazing how happy and joy-filled she could be even in the midst of the troubles around her. Despite the dichotomy and awkwardness of these emotions especially to the rest of the world, she seemed the most free to express herself. She allowed herself to feel in a real, if even extreme, way which showed love and compassion.
In the end, so much of the story reminded me of God’s grace and truth for me and you. I wanted to shake a couple characters and say, “Don’t you realize, you deserve love. The abuse or neglect is not your fault. The fear of the future doesn’t have to rule your life and ruin relationships.” I bet God wants to do that to us sometimes. Maybe not shake so much as squeeze a big hug of understanding of his unconditional love into us. I can see him wanting to run through the sprinklers with us and wail at the wall as our hearts break along side his. What a freedom and gift to share these moments with our creator, the one who knit us together and knew us from the beginning!
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