What a day God. I'm not even sure why I said that God, but it's just what came to my mind. There was just a lot of happenings for one day I guess. As I sit and reflect on my time spent at the Women of Faith conference and also what I'm thankful for today, it all kind of jumbles together, but that's my life in a nutshell really.
My three biggest takeaways I think from the conference came from several different speakers.
I was blown away by Brenda Warner's testimony and she really inspired me with her story. What stuck with me from her talk was to stay the course and do what I have to do to raise my kids to know that they are loved by God and have a purpose and literally to tell them everyday "You were made in Christ's image, do good things in this world and love people" I love that:) She is an amazing woman.
Secondly, Deborah Joy did a drama of the scene in the Bible where Jesus interrupts the stoning of Mary Magdelene and not one person could throw his or her stone at her because Jesus asked them to throw the first stone if you are without sin. I find myself in judgement of others often, which is terrible, but so easy to do, and sometimes saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and she just really laid it down to drop the stone in my hand and to love and understand.
Thirdly, Lisa Welchel talked about friendship and I could really relate to her because I have a lot of the same needs of intimacy and desire for deep meaningful friendships with women, but I'm not too good at it. She basically talked about not forcing friendships, but looking for signs of faithful women, not women who gossip or pretend to have it all together. Also, she talked about the importance of being transparent and being a good listener.
Anyway, it was nice to be there with my mom and have sometime with just us, with no kiddos, focusing on messages about our Lord.
I'm thankful for women like the women at the conference who are real and transparent and truly love the Lord and others and want to make a difference for Him.
I decided to read the story about Jesus interceding in the stoning of Mary Magdelene found in John 8.
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 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. 7 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.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 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. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
This is such an amazing story and to be honest, I have never truly really focused on it before or studied it. The lady who presented the story at the conference brought up an intriguing question that I obviously missed the times I had read it before, but it left me really thinking... What did Jesus bend down and write on the ground?
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