The other sister and brother-in-law die in a car accident, leaving their three children to Helen (Hudson), the single, career-minded sibling. Jenny (Cusack), very much the experienced wife and mother, is crushed by the obviously wrong (in her mind) decision.
Helen can't measure up to Jenny's mother standards and she often lets her know it. Hence, Helen cries out in frustration:
You don't want to help me; you want to judge me!Those words hit a little close to home.
If we are the least bit experienced in the Christ-following realm, we have worked hard to figure out what that means and align our lives in that direction. Then temptation hits:
He shouldn't have made that decision.
She shouldn't be going in that life direction.Much less appealing to show up and say, "You are so important to me. Is there anything I can do to make your life easier?"
In the movie, the two sisters poignantly come together when they set aside their differences and ask each other for help, acknowledging that both bring something beautiful to the table.
All of the trouble spots in life have something beautiful buried within; that is just the crazy, unfathomable side of God. He expects us to slip and slide, fall down, get up, find our way slowly but surely--and his desire is that we do it with each other, beside each other, encouraging each other, believing in the beauty of each other.Simple idea; vastly hard to execute. Our hearts can be so standoffish.
Here's to Helen: for fighting to find her best mommy-value that her late sister somehow detected. And here's to Jenny--the rest of us--whom, in the end, let genuine love-help win.
Image and content: Raising Helen.
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