The Help

I just finished reading The Help by Kathryn Stocketts. I took interest in reading the book after seeing the movie of the same name. The movie vied for Best Picture in this year’s Oscars and had won other movie awards so I thought it was a good story. It’s a story about three women that took the courage to voice out the stories of black domestic helpers in Jackson, Mississippi at the dawn of the civil rights movement. 

What I appreciate most about this book is the theme of courage. Someone said courage is not the absence of fear, but doing something despite the presence of fear. The three women in the story acted upon courage to voice out the plight of the help by writing a book despite the risk of being found out and facing the consequences of their actions. 

I remember Andy Stanley once talked in his podcast about courage. And he says that a “single act of courage is often times the tipping point for something extraordinary.” And that is true in this story.

Am I courageous? I need to be. I need more of it. I need the courage of:

• Abraham - followed God in faith even if he didn’t know where he was going


• Moses - led the Israelites from Egypt through the desert, short of the Promise Land


• Joshua - led the Israelites to the Promise Land, had to grow out of Moses’ shadow


• Gideon - delivered the Israelites in spite of his insecurities


• Jesus - chose the way of the cross in spite of the pain and suffering for the greater good of mankind.

Two Bible promises we can hold on to so we can act courageously:

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Matthew 28:20 - I am with you always to the very end of the age.