Sticks and Stones.

Please, come if You can ... You say, “I am.”

We are a people of questions. 

We are a people that judge and are judged based on our answers.

We are a people seeking answers, glimpses, truths untold.

On a day to day basis, questions fill our minds. Some, full of innocence: 

“What should I wear? 

“Will my new black pumps match my sweatshirt and jeans”

“Toast and jelly? Or eggs and bacon?”

Simple daily questions, which for the most part, we answer ourselves. Some aren’t complicated. Some don’t require a battle. Some are easily answered...

“Yes, I will have fries with that!” 

Or...

“No, I don’t want to sign up for a Kohl’s charge card”

Too bad questions and answers couldn’t always come this easily. Too bad we can’t answer each question ourselves. Too bad some questions are more complicated than others. Too bad our friends can’t always answer our questions. Too bad we sometimes hear the wrong answer. And, too bad all of our questions aren’t all completely innocent:

“Why am I never good enough?”

“Why can’t my thighs be as small as hers?”

“Why can’t I afford to upgrade to ‘first class’ like they can?” 

“Why does He never answer my prayer?”

“Why am I always left out?”

“Why doesn’t he love me anymore”

“Why wont he fight for me?”

“Why am I not enough?”

Questions. 

Sometimes, unanswered.

Other times, answered. 

Often times, we are answered. . . . 

Twice.

Two voices. Each different in its sound. Each different in its motive. Each different in its power. . . Yes, I know we have all heard it time and time again, but receive this verse. Understand the meaning. 

“The enemy comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy”

John 10:10

“you are NOT good enough, and never will be”

“why should he fight for you?”

“your body is incapable of looking as good as hers”

“He doesn’t answer your prayer because He doesn’t have time for you”

“your problems are too big, or too small for His attention”

“why keep trying? - give up”

“Satan is the father of lies”

John 8:44

The father of lies whispers to you constantly. You know the times I am talking about. When you feel the pit of your stomach drop because you “hear” the words. The curses. The death. You feel the pain of the answers. Not only in your ear, but also in your heart. 

Whoever decided that“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”obviously never had curses spoken to them, or they might have reworded that statement because. . . 

Words, hurt. 

Words, kill. 

Words, steal. 

Words, destroy. 

If the power of your speech didn’t matter, then why did God move James to talk so much about “taming the tongue?” Why are there verses after verses, chapters after chapter, book after book about speaking kindness, love, and grace to one another? Because. Words hurt. 

Words hurt, leave wounds, and later, scars. 

If you’ve been wounded by words in the past, then you felt you heart do a skip when you read the last sentence. The scars from words spoken are real. They make a difference. They matter. They DO hurt you, just like those sticks and stones. 

Let’s take for instance, the woman caught in adultery. . . 

A crowd soon gathered, and Jesus sat down and taught them. 
As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees
 brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. 
They put her in front of the crowd.

“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 

The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him,
 but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.  
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!”  

Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, 

until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 

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 then Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more” {John 8}.

What does John refer to the Pharisees as? 

Accusers.

Not, rock throwers and stick casters. 

They are accusers. They beat her with their words. Instead of using rocks and other weapons, they used the strongest weapon of them all. . . 

The tongue. 

Now, was this women guilty? Probably so. John writes that she was “caught” in the “act” of adultery. She is red-handed. Hand in the cookie jar, kind of “caught.” According to the “law,” she deserved to be stoned. They were “supposed” to throw sticks and stones. It is what she deserved. 

I dislike that word. There are different words in the english language that I don’t like to use. And “deserved” happens to be one of them. Deserved. Entitled to. Worthy of. 

I don’t like to think about what I deserve, or am entitled to. I believe that without Jesus, we deserve eternal punishment, which is Hell. 

Deserve.  

She deserved the words spoken. At least, the Pharisees thought so. Little did they know how wrong they were. . . 

“If any of you haven’t sinned, go ahead and throw one at her.” 

“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

Terrified, I imagine the girl dropped to her knees, covering her head, bracing herself for the pain she knew she would endure. I imagine she clenched her fists, closing her eyes, hoping for a chance of mercy. . . I imagine she hesitated before opening her eyes to look for her punishment. I imagine she might have slowly opened one eye, before completely standing up. I imagine she looked at Jesus being very confused. I imagine she looked at Him. Into His eyes. I imagine her heart melted when she heard these words. This question.

“Where are your accusers? 

Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 

Where’d they go? Did you see them leave? Didn’t even one stay? Not even one? 

Knowing that He is Jesus, the Lord of Lords and King overall, we know and believe that He knows all. Sees all. Decides all. . . right?

So that means that Jesus knew the answer to His question. He knew. 

I love the next part!

"No, Lord,” she said.

...

Jesus said, “Neither do I.”

I do not condemn you. 

My words will not harm you.

I speak kindness over you.

I won’t curse you. 

Wow. Jesus understands that words hurt more than sticks and way more than stones. He understands. 

He knows. He’s been there, done that, and got twelve tshirts from it. 

So you have a choice. Which voice will you choose to believe? The one who curses the day you were born? Or rejoices over your existence, daily? 

Questions.

Answers. 

Words. 

My Jesus, who is always yours, too.. He wants to bless you with His words. He will cover you with kindness. Rejoice over you with singing. Refuse to curse you. Love you, greatly. He has a lot to say, more than you, nor I can understand. 

His thoughts about you are endless. Timeless. Always occurring. 

Softly, sweetly, tenderly He speaks to you. . . 

Favorite, Will you pick me? 

Beloved, will you believe your answer? 

Redeemed, will you receive your answer? 

Will you choose to believe in His response? He likes it when we talk to Him, I promise. He loves it when we choose to seek Him, and ask Him with all of our heart. . . 

“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

Jerm. 29:13

"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” 

Matt. 7:7

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

 Matt. 21:22

My friends, He wants to be found. 

It is NO secret that your Jesus doesn’t like playing “hide and seek.” In fact. . . 

He isn’t very good at the game. You know how it goes, one person counts to twenty and you go run and hide. The game that used to be fun in middle school. Especially when you got to play with a big group, which had cute boys. You know what I mean, everyone picks their partner and you just so happen to get paired with the cute boy? Yeah, that wasn’t allowed at my church. . . Little did they know ----- Ok, back to what I was saying. . . 

Jesus isn’t a good hider. 

Now, He would be the BEST seeker. I mean, you can’t really hide from the Lord, right? I think a boy named Jonah tried that. . . He ended up covered in fish guts, so I wouldn’t recommend it. 

Playing hide and seek with Jesus might come out something like this. . . .

You are the seeker, the counter, whatever.

Jesus is the one you are seeking. 

The one who is supposed to “hide.”

.... 

Here we go! . . . You turn around, put your hands over your eyes. He reminds you, “no peeking!” You begin to count saying, 

1, 2, 3----------------------- 

before you can even finish your next number, an all too familiar smiling face is standing right in front of you. Right next to “base” saying, 

                      HERE I AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Good Job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You found me!!!!!!!!!!

Next time, don’t take so long!!!!!!!!!

:) He isn’t a very good hider. He likes to be found. 

In fact,

It’s His favorite.

Seek and find.

Ask and receive. 

Believe and trust. 

He is always listening,

always answering,

and never hiding.

~Hannah