A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
To those reading along me Advent & Christmastide Readings with Church of the Sojourners, you will recognize this verse from today's passage. I also recognize this from a word given to me by a visiting pastor a couple of years ago. He saw me as a reed, bent almost to the point of breaking, but gave me this verse as words of encouragement knowing that God had a plan for me that did not involve my destruction. We christians talk a lot about brokenness - that we actually need to be broken, like the the leaky clay pot, to be formed into something new - to recognize our need of God. So what is this about not breaking the reed? I like that it is coupled with the image of a smoldering wick. I have a fascination with candles, and have observed and even manipulated many candle wicks. I get really, really frustrated when a wick burns down past it's point of usefulness without using up all the wax in the candle. I actually have a secret supply of wick which I insert into the melted wax of candles that in my opinion are not ready to die. When the wax is finally gone, I am satisfied that this candle lived it's life to the fullest and did not die prematurely. A reed, if it is broken, is cut off from it's life source. It will die, there is no way to save it. This is not the kind of brokenness we treasure in the church. We are a part of a life giving vine and we must stay connected to thrive, or even to just survive. So God may break me - or allow me to be broken - indeed He already has, like the leaky pot that needs to be broken and even pulverized into powder to be formed into a new, whole, functioning pot. He will not, however, cut me off from my life source. So in that way - I am a bent reed, but with the support of the reeds around me, I have grown stronger in my creases, and perhaps I stand tall now. I keep lots of candles around - and remember that I really did need a new wick to keep burning.
O Love that fires the sun, Keep me burning... (Bruce Cockburn)
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