“You Without Sin, Cast the First Stone”

From John 8:1-11, those are words that Jesus spoke to the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees when they brought a woman before Him when she was caught in the act of adultery. The first question I have….where was the man caught in the act of adultery with her? The second question I have is “How could Jesus forgive her so readily?” There are no words given about the man, but Jesus’ next words show the results of forgiveness for someone who is truly repentant. “Your sins are forgiven you. NOW, go and sin no more.”

Television, radio, social media, newspapers and every other form of media amps up when they hear about the indiscretions and scandals of people in the public eye -- celebrities, high profile leaders, politicians, but most of all -- pastors, ministers, priests, and though we don’t read about it, we feel it -- if it’s happened in our own homes, churches and our own world. I'm not sugar coating the consequences of sin. For those abused and wounded, my heart and my prayers go out to you and for families who have a loved one who has been abused, I'm praying for you. I'm praying for each and every one of us who feels the great pain of betrayal.

If we go way back in history, we'll see the wrongdoings of some really good people who yielded to temptation and caused a lot of pain for themselves and others. Take, for example, King David in his indiscretion with Bathsheba AND the murder of her husband. (2 Samuel 11). How does God resolve this horrific turn of events? I can take no credit for the following words, except that I gave birth to the writer, my daughter, Staci Wallace. In no way am I condoning or justifying sinners’ faults, mistakes, pitfalls, lies, indiscretions or taking lightly the harm that innocent people have suffered. I can only go straight to our highest authority, God – Himself Who is our Supreme Judge and His Word says “Vengeance is mine. I will repay.” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19). But, what is our responsibility? How do we cope with such blatant indiscretions? My daughter, Staci Wallace, says it so well here:

“Sometimes the hardest VERB to put into action when you've been violated, hurt, offended, persecuted, wounded or even hung on a cross by others is LOVE. How can you LOVE when "it" hurts so badly? How can you forgive when the blood is still wet and the wound still open? How can you extend mercy when you have felt the spear of the merciless?
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Because forgiveness is not about YOU...it's about faith. It's an act of LOVE. It takes faith to forgive. It takes trusting in GOD who "IS LOVE" and then letting go of your hate, personal offenses or deep-rooted anger and let LOVE have its way.
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“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. "Whoever does NOT love does NOT know God, because God IS LOVE." 1 John 4:8
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Those words don't mean staying in a room that continues to hurt you. Leave the room and CHOOSE LOVE. If someone violates you and true injustice is there, go to authorities of justice and put the offense in THEIR hands so YOU can choose LOVE.
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And if, somehow, the justice YOU want to happen – doesn’t happen, and if the authorities allow you to be hung on a cross, persecuted publicly and suffer to the point of death...CHOOSE LOVE and let your final breath be an ether of COMPASSION that is remembered as your final fragrance left in the world."

I choose LOVE.

You Matter and You Are Loved!

You see all those leaves following from the trees? I’m here in Tulsa and the Oklahoma winds are blowing through with gusto which means the leaves must give way to the pull. Perhaps you see yourself as just another leaf on one of those trees that has seen its best days and is falling, falling, falling to the earth -- no longer feeling like you matter. Or maybe you feel like a snowflake in Colorado and you feel like no one really cares or notices you. You think that you really don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. We’re entering into the most wonderful time of the year – well, for some of us, that is. Others may be already dreading the holidays because it means you are alone and you just can’t help but feel discouraged and forgotten. I’ve said it before and it’s worthy of a repeat. You DO matter.

Our greatest example of One Who gave His all to show how much we matter is Jesus Christ. Here are just a few of His “You Matter” projects: The beggar -- blind Bartimaeus. He mattered enough for Jesus to stop and heal him. (Mark 10:46-52) The woman caught in the act of adultery and her accusers were about to stone her, but Jesus displayed she mattered when He said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:1-11). How about Jairus’ child who was sick and died? Death could not stop Jesus from healing her because Jairus and the little girl mattered. (Mark 5:21-43) Peter denied even knowing Jesus, but the greatest display of love, forgiveness and that he mattered was when Jesus said to him, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18) Jesus’ ultimate act of showing us we matter, is when He laid down His life for you and me. The underlying fact is…..WE MATTER!

The most important thing we can do for others is to help them know they matter. Why does it matter? Because it matters to our Creator. He specifically planned each of us individually and uniquely with the funny little quirky smile we might have, the color of our hair and eyes, or the freckles on our nose. We are so special that His eyes are on us ALL the time. He knows everything about us. We're His hand-designed treasures and He even thinks about us ALL THE TIME....so shouldn't we think about others in a way that God uses our arms to hug them and our mouths to tell them how special and beautiful they are? After all, they're our sisters and our brothers in this royal family of God. I can't explain it in mere words, but God sure can! Just take a look at how He masterfully and lovingly planned us and created us! We are ALL so special to Him. I hope these words by the Psalmist convince you of that!

Psalm 139:1-5; 13-18 "O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit or stand. When far away, you know my every thought. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say before I even say it. You both precede and follow me and place your hand of blessing on my head. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book! How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me. And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!"

Capital letters here to shout out loud and clear – YOU ARE LOVED and YOU MATTER!

Have You Ever Been Caught in the Act?

Hand in the cookie jar? Cookie crumbs all over your face? Have you ever been frozen in your tracks when the lights came on? Rendered motionless like a deer in the headlights? Frozen with your heart pounding through your chest? Gotten a ticket for speeding?

Our minds can go all over the place with that question. I remember, as a little girl, that I found a package of gum on the floor at the store and slipped it in my pocket. My Mom caught me “in the act” and promptly made me say “I am sorry” and hand it to the cashier. That simple “caught in the act” has stayed with me to this day and it has kept me honest – even to the point that if a cashier gives me too much change back, I’ll quickly return it. I even took back two metal cups to Chili’s that held the sauces in my “to go” box. Being “caught in the act” can certainly keep us on top of our honesty and integrity.

In my grandson’s debate tournament last year, they were debating what keeps a criminal from recommitting the same crime again. Some would say that “stiff punishment” is what would do it. Others debated that rehabilitation programs would be the answer to getting their lives together and on a road to honesty. Others would say being "caught in the act" was enough punishment for them to not recommit the crime.

This post was inspired when I read the scriptures about the woman who was “caught in the act” of adultery (John 8:1-11). The super religious Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught "in the act".They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, ”Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery.” I love this story because I love the greatest LOVER she had ever encountered, Jesus, who simply started drawing in the sand. Some scholars say (and I tend to prefer this thought) that Jesus started writing in the sand the sins of each of those who brought her to them, and they all slipped away. Jesus asked her “Where are your accusers?” And she replied “There are none!” Oh, how I love Jesus! He had, and has, so much extravagant love to give.

There really are times when it is a good thing for us to be "caught in the act". Why? Because otherwise we can deny until our hearts become perfectly hardened, as hard as a rock. When we continue to ‘get away with it’, it becomes easier to be more untruthful, become slicker and slicker, and even more lives get entangled in our mess. When we are confronted face to face with our mess, and take our mess to the lover of our souls, we find grace. That woman found the loving grace of Christ.

While being “caught in the act” tends to have negative connotations, I want to turn it on its head and change our mindset to being “caught in the act” of goodness, mercy, and kindness. Jesus set the example for us. The woman was “caught in the act” of adultery. Jesus was “caught in the act” of forgiveness and healing. Jesus was “caught in the act” of raising the dead when he saw a widow grieving at her only son’s funeral. Jesus was “caught in the act” of multiplying loaves and fishes to feed over 5,000 men, plus women and children. Jesus was “caught in the act” of welcoming the little children to come to him.

I’ve changed my way of thinking. Though I don’t want to look for the applause of those who see if I’m “caught in the act” of anything, I want my "caught in the act" to be consoling someone who needs a friend, giving kindness and mercy when someone didn’t really deserve it; giving to that one who is struggling and putting my arms around that one that needs encouragement. If you were “caught in the act” today, what would you hope you were doing?