Unforgiveness

"...[Jesus] straightened up and said to them, 
"Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." (John 8:7)

Recently I came across an individual who judged me based solely on a mistake I had made almost nine years ago.  In and of itself, this person had every right to hold me accountable to the consequences of my action.  However, I believe other factors need to be taken in to account.  First, the context of the culprit's life when the incident occurred; and, secondly, how has the person lived their life since then.  In other words, was the incident a fluke or one-time occurrence which seems out of place within one's life story?  Prior to getting labeled with a societal stigma, I was guilty of such judgement.  I was quick to proclaim, "Judge the tree by its fruit...A bad apple spoils the bushel."  The ordeal I had to endure has since softened me to now advocate, "Love the sinner and hate the sin."  I still need and want to be held accountable for my actions, which is important for growth and maturity.  However, I desire to see these life tenets infused with a compassion and love for our humanness, especially mine.  Many times throughout the day I am faced with providing courtesy and civility to many people I come across, including many I do not like or have any regard for.  Personally I strive to live decently toward my fellow mankind, even when the situation does not warrant such action.  The fine line includes not tolerating rudeness or flat out ugliness, but doing so while showing others a better way to live.  Spiritually I believe there is no requirement to like or become friends with everyone I meet.  But I am called by God to love everyone on an individual level.  Jesus had great compassion and forgiveness for the woman 'caught' in adultery, but he stipulated, "...go and sin no more."  What a great example in how to live my life.  Daily I desire to go and sin no more.  Fallen humanity, of which I am a member, has difficulty in carrying out this command due to our sin nature.  The good news is our relationship with the Heavenly Father gives us an other-worldly strength to strive toward righteous living.

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