“Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”“No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:10-11)
“Then the woman left her water jar, went into town, and told the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” They left the town and made their way to him.” (John 4:28-30)
At one time I was living in a situation that kept telling me that I was not good enough. Eventually I “escaped” into a behavior that I knew was wrong. I tried to stop in my own strength, but I couldn’t, and my prayers about it were at most half-hearted. I was addicted. It took me over three years to find my way out; a Christian counselor helped me take action, but he was also a safe person who allowed me to share honestly and openly about the situation I was in.
Sometime later I found myself in a twelve-step program. It let me not only find support for myself, but also help others share honest inventories of their own lives to safe people (including me) and accept the forgiveness that God offers. I was like that woman who said, “Come see a man – could this be the Christ?” Jesus knew about her five husbands and current lover, but he treated her with dignity and respect, and she wanted to share that with others.
Still, guilt over my own past addiction dogged me for decades. I had accepted God’s forgiveness – at least in principle – and had done what I could in the way of amends. But always in the background was that persistent sense of failure: I was one of “those people.”
Finally a second counselor with whom I had shared much of my story pointed out that there was no way, given my circumstances, that I could have resisted that temptation. Well, yes, what made me think that I could be stronger than all that on my own? As Zechariah 4.6 says, “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” But now it was as if Jesus had been trying to say to me all along, “Neither do I condemn you. Go – and go on helping others.”
Prayer Prompt: Father, thank you for the people you have put in my life who have been safe to be honest with and who have ministered your forgiveness to me. Make me too to be a safe person for others, for those who fear they are one of “those people,” so that they too can find their place in your presence.
Song of the Day: Those People - Anne Wilson
