1) Don’t treat someone a certain way, based on second-hand information. (Proverbs 16:28) Sandy justified lulling Reacher into a trap because someone told her he was bad. Her words: “I’m sorry. You were supposed to be a pervert.” Don’t be guilty of allowing gossip to influence your behavior toward others.
2) Honesty is the best policy. It’s okay to tell someone you care about if you’re concerned about something. Please understand though, that unsolicited advice is rarely accepted well, so be careful in your delivery and that you have a relationship established with the person you are being honest with. Speaking out of humility and concern will go much farther than a hostile confrontation. (Ephesians. 4:15) One of my favorite lines of the movie is when Emerson and Reacher part ways after meeting for the first time. Emerson says, “It’s weird to meet you.” Reacher responds with a little head nod and says, “Weird to meet you too.”
3) Reputation follows you, even if you’re off the grid for a few years. At the end of the movie, Reacher’s former military buddy says, “You don’t understand… there’s this guy… he’s sortof a cop…. He doesn’t care about laws, he doesn’t care about proof. He just cares about what’s right.” Even after not seeing Reacher for awhile, he still knows what Reacher will do because our reputation follows us. Be known as a person of character. (Proverbs 22:1)
4) The answers are sometimes in the little details. Reacher figures out one of the accomplices based on the smallest detail, something that rubs him wrong from the beginning. “It was that quarter,” he says. “No one would’ve thought to check the meter, not even me!” People feel most valued when you listen to the (their) details.
5) It’s all about people. The story revolves around the fact that people and justice are what Reacher’s all about, even if he seems like a tough guy. God made us to connect with others, not with things. Things come and go, but the connections we have with people are what sustain us. (Hebrews 10:25; 1 Thessalonians 5:11) In fact, a better example of this is in Safehouse when Frost’s friend says, “What’s in that glass (red wine) is the best it gets for you. You haven’t learned yet.” He goes on to explain settling down and having a family matters more than temporal things.
Jack Reacher is rate PG-13 for violence and strong language. This post should not be taken as an endorsement.
(c) 2016 Leighann Marquiss