Daily Lesson for January 13, 2016

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Isaiah chapter 42 verses 1 through 3:

Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.

All of us are vulnerable.  All of us are fragile. We are, as the Scripture says, bruised reeds and faintly burning wicks. Most of us, however, try to deny our vulnerability.  And we protect ourselves from the reminders of our own vulnerability weakness by separating ourselves from the vulnerability and weakness of others. This is why so many people are so cold and even cruel to the weak; for the weakness in others reminds us of the weakness in ourselves.

The servant of God does not abhor or abuse weakness, but acts always with mercy and compassion towards those who are fragile, poor, and poor of spirit.  The servant of God is gentle with the weakness in others and gentle also with the weakness in their own spirit.

Weakness, fragility, and vulnerability are part of what it means to be human. We must learn to embrace and not deny the humanity in others and also the humanity in our own selves.

The faintly burning wick is not strong, it is not mighty or powerful. But it is courageous.  And it is alive.

And the servant of God holds it gently in the palm of their hand.