The Harm of Stones

AHH my first blog post. This is a little intimidating, but I will do my best. I feel as though the first is incredibly important so I have decided that I shall (so vintage) write about a passage that is incredibly important to me: “The Women Caught in Adultery” John 8: 1-11. For those who have a Bible at home I suggest first reading the passage, and if you don’t, no worries! I will be happy to give you a rundown of it.

Jesus is in a temple when some Pharisees bring him a women who committed adultery and ask what Jesus’s opinion on stoning her was. They claim that it is by Moses law that the punishment must be done. Jesus’s response teaches an incredibly valuable lesson. “Whichever one of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone at her,” John 8: 7.

Jesus teaches a fundamental lesson through this statement. Humans are not perfect. We have sinned before and will most likely continue to sin. We have all distanced ourselves from God in some way. So who are we as fellow sinners to say someone else’s sins are worth condemning? We are different people who sometimes sin differently and sometimes sin similarly, but our faults are more similar than most perceive.

How can this teaching from scripture be practiced in everyday life?  A reason why I love this passage so much is because it’s relatable. I am sure we have all encountered situations that we regret and the last thing we want people to do is to look down upon us for them. Virtually any individual can sympathize with this lesson. Not only are we victim to unfair judgment, we also commit the very same unfair judgment we resent. Human concentration on other people’s sins and mistakes is illustrated in this passage. Is this prevalent in modern society? Absolutely! Media for ages has glorified the idea of human error being a type of performance meant to be watched and judged by your everyday sinners. We as fellow wrongdoers sit at home feeding off the publicized wrongs people have committed, and afterword’s feel better about our own self’s. “Wow...that Bieber kid is a mess. I am glad I am not like him!” However, media isn’t the only guilty case of rampant judgment. There are scenarios we encounter every day that precipitate unfair judgment. The constant texter. The unsocial butterfly. The slut. The manwhore. The mean girl. The fake girl. The ones who smoke weed. The ones who don’t smoke weed. The church goers. The atheists. The nerds. The partiers. (Perspective is an interesting subject) Judgment accompanies us in everyday life. It follows us and we lead it. Is it inescapable?

I didn't just pick this passage as my first post because it is important to me (there are so many passages I value). I picked it because it embodies a significant belief I have as a blogger - withholding condemnation from my blog posts. Perfection isn't a quality of mine, but susceptibility to mistake and sin is. I fit in the same guidelines as the Pharisees.  Even though I will address the wrongs people have committed, I will try to withhold judgment. Am I going to be successful with my goal one hundred percent of the time? Sadly no. But I’m human… along with seven billion others. We are all going have fault in our actions, but instead of trying to fix others and express disapproval we should concentrate on fixing the flaws of our own character first.

The constant and endless fixation with neighborly error distracts us from a substantial problem we individually have the ability to fix… our own error.  When we are persistently focused on others mistakes we indirectly begin to believe that our own sins are virtually inconsequential. They don’t produce any negative effects. Does this mean that we are horrible living creatures? Absolutely not. This is just an example of a mistake that all humans are prone to, but that doesn't we can’t correct it.

I think if we look past others blemishes and focus on bettering ourselves, it will encourage a better world. Harmonious values of forgiveness and love should be cherished instead of dangerous ones such as hate and scorn. I know we have the ability to conduct ourselves in a more affectionate way. Self-improvement just takes a little bravery, faith, and endurance.

Peace will be inevitable once we all begin to focus on how we can improve ourselves and the way we treat others. How can I look past the unjust judgment I hold on this person to improve our relationship? How can I treat others with more compassion? How can I be more selfless? How can I be kinder? How can I be kinder? I know that it is in human capability and it might not become a universal ideal, but is it wrong to have the hope that we can create a world of peace, love, and joy? Isn’t that something worth striving for?