Wild Woman

Last week my friend Jonnie celebrated her 87th birthday.  Several of her friends and I honored her with a dinner at an area restaurant.  Jonnie is a wonderful woman.  I’ve known her less than a year but I’ve grown close to her quickly.  She is one of those people who I connected with almost immediately.  She is family to me.   I can talk to Jonnie about anything and I know she will listen, she won’t judge me for being human, and she really cares.   She is such a rare human and I thank God that he has allowed me to share her life.

I went to pick her up and drive her to the restaurant.  I brought the CR-V, a small 4-door sport utility vehicle.  When she came to the door she said, “Oh, you didn’t bring the BMW?”  My other car is a red BMW Z3 Roadster convertible.  I told her I thought it would be difficult for her to get in and out of since it is so low to the ground.  Jonnie has severe osteoporosis and bones damaged by chemotherapy several years ago and walks with a walker.  She said okay, but I could tell she was disappointed.   Over dinner I asked her if she was expecting to ride in the BMW and she said she was hoping.  I said that I suppose she wanted the top down, too.  She laughed and said she wanted to do everything that she could.  I told her I would start praying for a warm day and we could put a scarf around her head.  She smiled and I called her a wild woman.  I think the smile spread a little wider.

I spent a lot of time talking to people about how Jonnie has impacted their lives. But one thing I kept hearing that really impressed me was that Jonnie is a woman who is honest with love.  She is not afraid to admit how she has failed God and He has shown her where she was wrong.  She is eager to use herself as an example to keep someone else from making her mistakes.  I think that is something God wants us all to be willing to do.    We hear every day that we should not show vulnerability or weakness.   It is important for me to remember where that message is coming from and what is the truth.  The truth is that we ARE vulnerable and weak.   It is through our weakness that His power is perfected (2 Cor. 12:9).  I guess that it is only when we admit to our weakness that we step aside to allow Him to take the glory for what he rightly deserves.  Before that it seems to me we are pushing into center stage and demanding attention that we don’t deserve.  We are like that person on Star Search that bad mouths the judges in the hallway when they didn’t get a pass to Hollywood.  It is easy to see we have no talent, and we know we cannot sing, but we act like we are entitled/deserve to have everyone else pretend along with us.  But all these pretenders just delay the real Star from being elevated and prevent us all from hearing the real Star perform.   So, we are really hurting ourselves and don’t realize it.   I’m starting to get a clue, by the grace of God and good friends like Jonnie.

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