Words Written Down

My daughter-in-love works in a hospital.
She is a float pool nurse.
She works in maternity, NICU, and pediatrics.
Her skills are vast; she is able to go wherever she is needed in the hospital.

Earlier this month, she celebrated her birthday.
She had to work on her special day.
She held the little babies and tended to their care.
She is faithful to her patients; she has a servant’s heart.

She is well loved by her husband.
She is well loved by our family.
She is well loved by all who know her.
She is well loved by God.

Her love of the Lord Jesus is obvious in everything she does.
She loves His Word.
She loves to sing and praise Him in worship.
She loves His people.

Even if people do not know the Lord, they cannot deny that she knows Him.
It is her contagious faith that is captivating.
She will ask young moms if she can pray with them or for them.
They often say, yes, so she will pray with them.

My daughter-in-love worked a long shift on her birthday.
Later in the day, she shared a picture of something that brightened her day.
She happened to see the picture while she was on her break.
It was a note to her, written in chalk.

The picture was so precious.
Two little boys, who live next door, wrote a birthday greeting on her patio.
They took time to make it large enough and colorful enough.
They wrote it so that she could look out of her kitchen door and see it immediately.

Happy Birthday, Miss Jill.

They even took the time to draw four balloons on strings tied together with a large bow.
They used colored chalk.
If a note could exude happiness, this one did just that.
If a note could make a person’s day, this note surely won the prize.

The older boy was probably the writer.
Maybe their mom gave them a little help.
It was precious and thoughtful.
It was the perfect thing to greet her on a long day.

At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
(John 8:2-11)

A woman was caught in adultery.
She was brought to Jesus as a way to trap Him.
Jesus knew the duplicity of the people that brought her to Him.
In the cases of adultery, both the man and the woman are to be brought forward.

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees knew that Jesus would have to take a stand.
If Jesus condoned the stoning, He would be breaking Roman law.
Only the Romans could execute the death penalty.
If Jesus said to release the woman, He would be breaking the law of Moses.

Instead, Jesus wrote in the sand.
God’s Word does not tell us what Jesus wrote.
People speculate about what they think Jesus wrote in the sand.
Whatever Jesus wrote, it was powerful enough to dismiss the accusing crowd.

Jesus knew the hearts of the people in the crowd who were holding stones in their hand.
Jesus knew the malice in their hearts.
Did Jesus write their sins in the sand?
Did Jesus write something that accused them?

Did Jesus write words of love so pure that their hearts were pierced?
Did Jesus convey His love for them as they held the stones in their hands?
Did the love of Jesus and the kindness of Jesus so overwhelm them, they had to leave?
Did the kindness of Jesus lead any of the people to repentance?

We will never know what Jesus wrote in the sand.
However, we do know that Jesus did not accuse the woman caught in adultery.
Then neither do I condemn you, Jesus declared.
Go now and leave your life of sin.

Kindness touches the heart far more than judgment.
Jesus scribbled in the sand.
We can only guess what He may have written.
Jesus wrote in the sand and the accusers left, dropping their stones as they walked away.

Two little boys blessed my daughter-in-love with their kindness.
Jesus wrote in the sand and the angry people accused no more.
Kindness does that.
That is something to ponder.

 

2 responses to “Words Written Down”

1. What a beautiful message Gina!! Thank you so much for sharing this with me! It blessed my day!!

   Reply

   • I am so glad, Ann!
     The kindness of the little boys touched my heart.
     Kindness has a way of doing that.
     Blessings,
     Gina

     Reply