Did you ever wonder why one side of a piece of aluminum foil was shinier than the other? (If you wondered that, you may also have wondered which side goes down and which side goes up – the people from Reynolds always said it didn’t matter.) As it turns out, the shiny / dull effect is the result – but not the intent – of the production process. To make foil, a block of aluminum is pressed and rolled like dough into thin sheets. In the final rolling step, two sheets pass through the rolling mill at the same time. For each sheet, the side that meets the polished steel roller will be shinier. You learn something new every day!
Some people live life like those flattened sheets of aluminum. They experience the movement and pressure of major events and the process leaves puzzling, unintended results. One man I know loves to go fishing… but has a deep-seated fear of water. The love and the fear both come from his childhood. His family spent many weekends fishing along a riverbank. On one trip, as he recalled to me, he fell into the river and struggled to keep his head above the water. He managed to climb to safety, but the fear grabbed hold that day and never abated. Adults in his life could have helped him move beyond the fear, but no one took the time to teach him how to swim.
The wonderful news about Jesus was foretold by Isaiah:
A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench.
Isaiah 42:3
Our savior saw the hurting hearts of those who never intended to be living life on the edge. One woman had been bleeding for twelve years. The Bible tells us that she had spent all she had on physicians who could not heal her. In the thick of a crowd, she reaches out and grabs hold of Jesus’ garment and receives healing. Jesus turns around to find her and commend her for her faith.
Imagine her life from that point forward. With the burden lifted, she could suddenly breathe easy again. Where the possibilities seemed to only narrow, now there is hope. Instead of living with unintended results, she steps into a new day with agency and dignity.
Stepping into God’s Kingdom is a move toward purpose. Creation began with intent – God’s hand turning chaos into something beautiful. Satan’s realm is full of trauma, collateral damage, and deep-seated fears. The healing miracles of Jesus point to a better story – withered hands restored and able to work, blind eyes seeing and marveling, widows embracing the sons they had mourned.
The heavy rollers of life will leave their mark on us, but God heals our wounds and calls us into lives of purpose. Let us, like the woman, reach out in faith to a God who will not quench a faintly burning wick.