He Who Has No Sin

Photo By: Colin_K (Creative Commons)

Man was last week a stressful week?

The odd thing was, for me, that it was not stressful in the way I would normally define stress.

From the Supreme Court to the Zimmerman trial to Paula Dean and the Aaron Hernandez situation it was an opinionated person’s dream and nightmare – all at the same time.  I cannot count on both hands how many times I wanted to write something about ANY of these topics only to get to a point where a voice said “no, you cannot say this – this way.”

I knew I needed some time to put my thoughts together because there is JUST SO MUCH I felt I needed to say. Then I thought, no, too many people are already saying what they need to say – which is their right, as it is mine. Is there any situation that you and I cannot comment on? A situation that any of us can just keep our mouths shut?

Nope.

There comes a point, however, where it all becomes something that sense and reason cannot rise above; a point where all the people with all their opining and all the opining about the already expressed “o-pines” makes a Motley Crue concert sound like a library in a monetary with sound proof walls and no electricity for their equipment.

In a word, noise; plain and simple it is all just noise.

We’re past the point, in most of these cases, of ever knowing who’s right who’s wrong? We’ll NEVER know what happened that ugly night when someone lost his life or how someone feels about a WORD they said, forget 20 years ago, how ‘bout yesterday. Did he? Didn’t she?

Honestly, it makes me want to scream. I am almost ready to stop going to Face Book.  Seriously, do you think that any of your rants are making people change the way they think? I mean, how many people are you really “friends” with that don’t already agree with you?

For better or worse, mostly worse recently, I am.

I have friends on both sides of the isle, either side of the argument – whatever “the argument” happens to be. I see both sides shelling out their thoughts about everything. SO, if you don’t see many status updates form me for a while – yes, it’s your fault.

Then I heard the voice again, the voice that told me to slow down.

Not because my opinions are wrong or because I don’t want to come off as a racist, bigoted, hate mongering, homophobic, cracker but because it is not about me.

Wait, what?

It is not about me and I hate to tell you this, well – I don’t really – it ain’t about you.

Let me say that again in case your eyes skipped IT AIN’T ABOUT YOU.

So what is it about?

Simply stated it is about pointing out that none of us are perfect. Every person has said or done something their embarrassed about or ashamed of.

The voice that spoke to me this week lead me to a situation in the Bible when some religious leaders dragged a woman caught in adultery to him reminded him that the “law” said she should be stonned and asked what he’d do.

Do you remember what he said?

“They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (John 8:7 NLT – Emphasis mine). And then they all walked away.

So, I guess what I am saying is that, later today, when  you’re getting ready to fire off that heated email, FB post or comment about someone, something or situation that has pissed you off take a moment and figure out if you could have thrown a stone at that woman.

You may not have made the mistake she made but you’re NOT the “one” who has no sin – either.