Just One Thought

My heart is in my throat as I think about the disaster in Uvalde, Texas. Again and again, we see violence against innocence. Our wounds and emotions lash out at the unfairness of this event. The measured response to the moment is not what we want, but at the same time, we want to defund those who are in a position to protect and serve.

We cannot have everything we want.

As the aftermath of decisions unfolds from this week’s tragedy, we are listening to the multitude of voices that clamor for a better response. You cannot blame anyone for wanting to un-write this week’s headlines and heap emotions and second-guesses on the heads of those in position to respond. I cannot say how I would have responded were I in their shoes. Yet, having lived through the lack of response by those in the position to prosecute a wrong-doer, I can only surmise that my answer would be equally heartfelt as those who lost their innocence.

Before We Cast Stones

Before we cast stones, maybe we should look at ourselves and determine if we are equally guilty in other areas. Apples and oranges, we all know, one does not equal the other. Can we trust that our wrongdoings do not respond more harshly when others have done wrong, and we feel the sting of loss?

Our harshness and rush to judgment cannot undo the deed, and it will probably not change future wrongs, but trying to condemn when our feelings are so raw and open may not be the best thing to do.

Consider how Jesus asked of those who wanted to stone a woman caught in adultery. Hmm. Where was the man? Instead of acquiescing to the pressure of the accusers, Jesus taught a valuable lesson. From a position of ignoring the naysayers and then finally stooping down to the ground and writing something in the dirt, Jesus finally spoke out.

“He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” John 8:7 NKJV

He again stooped to the dirt and began writing something. John does not acknowledge the results of the words in the dirt. But perhaps some have it right. Maybe Jesus was writing out their sins or naming names of those who knew the situation and were willing participants in the sin. It may be more simple than that. I like to think he was writing out some favorite scripture of law that dealt with accusations or clean living. Ten Commandments? David’s cry of pain in one of his many psalms?

We May Never Know

We may never know what Jesus wrote. We know this: Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. (John 8:9)

Conscience is a powerful ally to give us pause in our actions.

John tells us that they leave one by one, being convicted by their conscience from the eldest to the youngest. I find that the younger ones experienced their convictions only after the example of their elders. If you have made more than a few trips around the sun, become the leader of your years.

Wiser heads prevailed, and younger ones learned from their example.

Notice what is left out of the moment. John does not say they read the words in the dirt. What Jesus wrote may have been vital, but John does not say they took any note of his words to make up their minds. Their conscience guided their actions.

Just One Thought

A rush to judgment never ends well. Emotions are not the best barometer of right and wrong. Even the courtroom of public opinion seldom paints the best image of the moment (think about a trial that is happening between two people dealing with “defamation of character.”)

No matter where we enter the story, we are always shading the events from our perspective.

Could these heinous acts be judged for how we’ve passed laws and railed against those not on our sides? Possibly. I don’t profess to speak God’s mind to the moment, but scriptural examples show that we often heap our results as a product of our sins.

Solomon completed the temple building that his father was not allowed to begin. There was too much blood on David’s hands. (1 Chronicles 17, 28) But God laid out a plan for Israel and summed it up in a single verse we often recite.

if My people who are called by My name
will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV

Put the entire chapter under the spotlight and illuminate the words to your heart. Will our conscience lead us to better actions and reactions?

One thought comes from the next verse (2 Chronicles 7:15). God says:

Now My eyes will be open, and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. 

This is my thought. It’s time to go to God’s House and pray. God’s watching and listening. We cannot but hope that God will help us make sense of it all.