Because I see God in you

Martha Olawale

“He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” John 8:7

There is so much condemnation and negativity in our world today. Everyone always has a box of stones with them to throw at others at the slightest chance they get. We relish the fall of others and are ready to condemn before we listen, and judge before we correct. It’s like we leave no room for errors for others, while we constantly need help ourselves.

Think about the story of the woman in John 8. The crowd was convinced that her sins were condemnable, but Jesus saw it differently. He believed her sins, as nasty as they were, were redeemable, just as all the sins of the imperfect men standing before Him with stones in their hands were forgivable, despite cunningness and pride.

I will be the first to tell you that I am a product of God’s grace, and my boast is only in Him. Paul said in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” I am coming to you today because I see God in you, and to extend this Truth that saved my life to you, because I found rest in the Lord Jesus and want you to discover that rest, too.

You don’t have to be my friend to be a friend of Jesus, and you don’t have to agree with me to open your heart to Him. Stand before Jesus despite your accusers and experience the marvel of His mercy. In verse 9 of John 8, the Bible said, the woman kept standing there, after all her accusers had left. Maybe she knew about Jesus before that day, or perhaps that was her first experience of the level of grace He extends. Whatever her background knowledge of Jesus was, she was baffled by His love and grace.

There is so much more to this King and Savior than what you’ve seen or heard about Him. He sees you as He made you and knows the possibilities of you honoring God beyond your life of guilt and shame. If you’ll allow Him, He’ll lead you in the path of righteousness, where you can indeed heed His call to “Go and sin no more.”

I see God in you, and I don’t care about the color of your skin, your geography, or your background. Maybe the sin you are hiding from is ten years old or five minutes old; it doesn’t matter to Jesus, so I don’t care about it either. Think of this: the woman’s sin was fresh. She was caught in the act and shamed from there to the feet of Christ, but she left forgiven, and her accusers left convicted.

Some would ask, “Where was the man with whom she sinned?” I don’t know, but what I do know is that she got the best out of the deal because her accusers led her to Jesus. She found herself before the mercy seat, and that experience changed her life. She came with shame and left redeemed.

Regardless of the battles of your mind right now and the shame you carry, use your accusers to your advantage and stand before Christ to receive mercy and grace to help in times of need (Hebrews 4:16). He cares for you, and His love will cut through your shame to make room for His salvation.