𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯, “𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘴? 𝘋𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶?”
“𝘕𝘰, 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥,” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘕𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰 𝘐. 𝘎𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦.”
- John 8:9-11
Humans have a natural desire to create hierarchy. A pecking order where some are socially elevated and others pushed down, most times for no real apparent reason other than made up criteria of looks, money, height and a whole slew of other things we think are important. We like to judge; we can’t help ourselves. It’s an illusion but one that we tend to whole heartedly believe.
The women in the bible had been caught in the act of adultery. She was pulled to the city center, surrounded, accused, and condemned in short order. Stones were picked up as the judges readied themselves to carry out the punishment of death. They saw her as the lowest of the low, deserving of death. She believed it also.
Then Jesus came along, and with a very simple observation and statement, “whomever is without sin cast the first stone”, he lifted her up from the dirt of society to eye level. He showed her, her accusers, and the entire town that she was neither better nor worse than anyone there. She was human, equal, deserving of forgiveness and love.
For this women, emotional healing started with her seeing herself through Gods eyes. For the accusers, emotional healing started with them seeing themselves through God’s eyes.
We are human, we are in this together, neither better nor worse, all deserving of love, respect, and forgiveness. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.…” – Romans 3:23.
Dear Lord, help us to see ourselves and others through your eyes so that we can accept and love ourselves and all those around us. Amen
Jeff Rohlwing
