“What’s wrong with this picture?” “One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn’t belong.”  We give our kids games and puzzles to teach them to pay attention and to stretch the intellectual muscles that support pattern recognition.  My favorite was, “What’s wrong with this picture?”

It still is, and that can be a problem. 

Before I confess the problem, I want to defend the practice of recognizing what’s wrong with the picture — in other words, finding the flaw.  A critical eye is often advantageous.  If you are a copy editor or proof-reader, spotting the error is your job.  When a physician examines a patient, you certainly want them to be looking for the thing that doesn’t belong.  Almost every craft and trade demands that the laborer inspect the work before calling the job complete.  The critical eye is the antidote to careless, slip-shod work.

But attention to what’s wrong and what’s missing can be over-applied, leading to a general critical and negative outlook.  It can be judgmental and dismissive of other people.  It can become a lacerating weapon when used without compassion.

No one is perfect.  You don’t have to be a genius to find a flaw in a piece of work, in an institution, or in a person.  It is not always necessary to point out the flaw.  It is not always helpful to allow oneself to look for it.

Jesus could be blunt and demanding of people: ‘take up your cross,’ ‘go and sin no more,’ ‘sell all that you have.’

But he didn’t wield his tough demands and keen judgments indiscriminately.  When Matthew describes Jesus, he uses a passage from Isaiah 42 which says: “He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick…”

For all of us who are quick to notice ‘what’s wrong with this picture,’ here’s what we need to do first.  Look first with compassion before looking with a critical eye.

Even though we don’t always notice, every day we encounter vulnerable, hurting people — people who are bruised reeds.  There are folks who are barely making it; their light has almost gone out.  They are smoldering wicks.  They don’t need to be told that they are falling short; they need a hand, a word of encouragement, a loving word, a warm embrace.

Prayer: Merciful God, I see faults (my own and everyone else’s) very well, thank you.  Help me see the bruises and flickering flames that need tending; grant me a gentle touch and a healing word to offer in your name.  Amen.