“A bruised reed he will not break and a smoldering wick he will not extinguish…“
Matthew 12:20
Matthew wrote the words above about Jesus, quoting from the prophecy of Isaiah and lauding the Messiah’s gentleness and compassion. They are words we perhaps need right now, and words that have guided me much of my adult life.
Twenty years ago, I was on set in Los Angeles. We were shooting in a run-down neighborhood near a rescue mission. Because we ran a low-budget production with no conventional security, I sensed that everyone in the cast and crew was a little nervous as homeless and desperately poor people gathered around, watching.
And then it happened.
A tall, strapping young man walked into the middle of the set, talking loudly and gesticulating in a threatening manner. Obviously, the scene was ruined. I saw the cameraman switch off his camera and stand protectively in front of the lens. Everyone else more or less turned away, avoiding eye contact. The young man continued to shout and carry on, waving his arms wildly.
In that moment, something came over me and I walked up to him. I stand nearly 6’5”, and this young man, being my height, looked directly into my eyes. He had the build of a football player. (I don’t!)
I guessed that he was suffering from a mental illness, as I have some experience with such things. I engaged him in conversation, and as he talked on and on, I realized that what he wanted more than anything else was to be recognized… for someone to listen to him. So, I listened. I’m not sure how many minutes went by.
Eventually, I put my arm around him and gave him a hug. He had calmed down by then. I led him over to the side where he could watch with the others while the crew and I went back to work.
Which brings me back to Jesus.
At our core, all of us are bruised and flickering in this world… Uncertainties, weakness, and fears about the future assail each one of us. But we carry on… Like my sons, Daniel and David, we take what we have and give it our best.
And God notices. He “sees” us where we are. And for all our imperfections and woundedness, he treats us with kindness and gentleness. We know we are safe in his hands. He does not judge based on outward appearance; rather, he looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
And a bruised reed he will not break.
Keep that in your hears this week, dear friends.
Take the time to sit with Cris’s “Director’s Reel,” which articulates his vision and approach to filmmaking.
