Put down that stone

We've all made mistakes and have done things that we end up regretting. It's not as important as to what specifically the mistake was (because we can't undo it), it's more about how we bounce back after we acknowledge the mistake and ask for forgiveness. Essentially, it's understanding how to apply the principle of "Lessons Learned" in order to not become a repeat offender.

True Story:
Several years ago a woman was driving in her car. Without warning her windshield exploded and something very hard hit her square in the face. The woman (I'll call her Deb), ended up undergoing facial reconstruction surgery. Deb was hit by a frozen turkey that was thrown from the rear window of a speeding car by a teenage college student out for a joyride with friends.

The teenager was indicted on a first-degree assault charge and could have faced up to 25 years in prison. And then Deb stepped in. She saw the young man for the first time coming out of the courtroom. He stopped, choking and crying as he tried to apologize to her.

For an intensely emotional few minutes, Deb embraced him tightly, stroked his face and patted his back as he sobbed uncontrollably. The young man kept saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," the woman he could have killed repeated, "It's OK. It's OK. I just want you to make your life the best it can be."

Then, at Deb's insistence, prosecutors agreed to a plea bargain for the young man, giving him six months in jail and five years' probation instead of 25 years in prison. One man later said that in his 30 years as a prosecutor "he had not seen such a forgiving victim."

* * *

But 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."

John 8:1-11

Final Thoughts:

Many times in life we instinctively pick up that stone in preparation to declare judgment on another persons actions. One thing we must remember is that God wants us to soften our hearts and provide love and encouragement to one another. We are blessed that our Lord allows us to redeem ourselves and is a God of second chances.

There is not a righteous man on earth
who does what is right and never sins.

Ecclesiastes 7:20

So the next time someone makes a mistake...instead of pointing a finger at them, offer them guidance and support out of compassion for their mistake. Because one day we all will stand before the final judge and will be held accountable for all of our actions.

God bless you. And this if for His Glory!