DROP THE STONES

Do you remember the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3-11)? The Pharisees brought her to Jesus and quoted the Jewish law demanding that she be stoned as punishment for her sin. Imagine the shame and embarrassment of having your sin made public and openly criticized!

Some of us who publicly wear the sin of overeating on our overweight bodies know that same sense of shame and embarrassment. We don't need Pharisees to hurl stones at us. We throw them at ourselves. Daily.

Jesus looked at this woman's accusers and said, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." One by one the woman's accusers dropped their stones and walked away. When no one but Jesus and the woman were left, Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

What kind of stones do you throw at yourself through thoughts of self-condemnation? I am an absolute professional at negative self-talk. I ought to be. I've had YEARS of practice.

I keep thinking about that cartoon I posted a long time ago - it's a drawing of an overweight woman being knocked off the scale by a boxing glove that says "Shame On You." That's been a portrait of me for far too long. I've had no Pharisees to accuse me. I haven't needed them. I've been quite capable of accusing and condemning myself.

Well, guess what girlfriends .... the vast majority of those hurtful things I said to myself about myself were lies. They were lies the enemy wanted me to believe because they kept me frustrated and defeated. Which, in case you didn't know it, is right where he wants to keep all of us.

No more. I have made a commitment to practice TRUTHFUL self talk based on the Word of God and let it renew my mind. I am dropping my stones. Here's what I'm telling myself today: I am accepted and loved by Jesus just as I am. By His grace I am free to GROW in faith and trust.

There is therefore now

NO CONDEMNATION

for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1

I originally wrote this post a couple of years ago. Guess what? Somewhere along the line I picked up some more stones. That's SO easy to do. Stones of self-condemnation are always easy to find. The enemy and the deceitful standards of our culture keeps them close at hand.  

Oh, yes. I had learned not to be so quick at throwing stones, but I've found that carrying them in my pockets weighed me down. I'm taking a refresher course in talking TRUTH to my soul. Today I'm emptying the stones from my pockets and taking some new steps in freedom with a lot less weighing me down. How about you?