Glass houses
PostedJust recently I completed my first assembly of this year. We were asked who our favorite Bible Story was, and then were given a chance to share that with the school. Mine is found in John 8: 1-11:
1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
11"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
This passage has always been one of my favorites...
Here, Jesus is the ONLY person who could have thrown stones... the only one without sin... yet He doesn't. He rather uses this as an opportunity to show everyone there that they are NOT to point fingers at others when we are no better ourselves.
This is something that is very difficult for me.
To be honest, I have had to deal with some very difficult relationships with those that I interact with here in Bangladesh. This term I tried to enter with a renewed heart, simply not jumping on someone when they have done something wrong, but rather, humbly approaching them realizing that I too make mistakes.
How often in our lives are we SO quick to tell someone else they are wrong but lethargic in our own admission of guilt?
Do you ever wonder if being egotistical leads to false assumptions of what a situation may entail? Does it not cause us to judge the situation at the outset rather than allowing it to unfold?
Labeling ourselves as all knowing, pointing fingers or throwing stones will only cause pain in our own hearts, whether we are right... or whether we are wrong.
Perhaps our lives could benefit from a little bit more humility... I claim to have very little of this... however, I can say that I have never known a human, humble or high, that when life's end neared, regretted holding their stones...yet I have known more than one, myself included, who has regretted throwing them.
Why not try to hold onto your stones this week?
Serving Him in Bangladesh,
Corinne
0 comments:
Post a Comment