Being an instrument in the Creator's hands to help to soften hearts

I thought that I would share something that I shared with some missionaries.

Dear fellow labourers in the vineyard

As I have thought about what to share with you on your mission in this one of my infrequent letters, my mind turned to a few questions that went through my mind relating to an incident in the life of Jesus Christ. I thought that it could be of value to you as you strive to teach in the Saviour's way.

This relates to the incident in John chapter 8 where a woman is dragged before Jesus of Nazareth. She had been caught in the very act of adultery. Here are the thoughts and questions that I wrote down. I wonder how many minutes there were in this story in John 8. Perhaps you can relate these thoughts to you and the way that you teach and interact with people who have their own sins of which they need to repent before they can progress to make and keep covenants. Remember - you teach non-members, new, and returning members, and active members. I believe that you can help many of them to feel the Spirit and progress in their journey towards, rather than away from, the tree of life as described by Lehi and Nephi.

I reflected on the story of the woman taken in adultery (John 8).

· She was evidently guilty of one of the most serious of sins.

· What about the man? Somehow the Saviour does not seem to have pressed this matter, so maybe we should not dwell on it.

· What was her attitude when first brought to Jesus of Nazareth?

· What was her attitude as He first responded by simply stooping down and with his finger wrote on the ground as though he heard them not?

· What was her attitude as He said ‘Let he that is without sin cast the first stone”?

· What was her attitude when He again stooped down and wrote in the dust?

· What was her attitude when He asked ‘Woman, where are those thine accusers”?

· What was her attitude after He said “Neither do I condemn thee – go and sin no more”? How had her attitude and feeling changed with each step along the process?

I shall not expand on these points. I hope that your mind reflects on each step in the woman's change of heart and how we might affect the feelings in the hearts of those that we are teaching. I reckon that her heart felt very different at the end of the incident relative to how she felt at the start of the interview. 

Perhaps you can teach in such a way that hearts change. I wonder if her heart was somewhat like stone - hard, defiant, indignant, defensive, betrayed, confrontational, hurt, angry, arrogant, blaming, abandoned, victimised, fighting - or whatever that was no doubt carnal, sensual or devilish - when she was dragged or pushed onto the scene. I imagine that her heart had - just maybe - changed, to become seriously softened, remorseful, desiring to truly repent such that the Lord Jesus Christ would not condemn her - a broken heart and a contrite spirit - and then He encouraged her to change by going and sinning no more.

Then I think of the following examples.

· Driver’s license examiners – looking for reason to fail the candidate or looking for evidence of competence and helping them to qualify? I was examined for heavy duty license – the examiner commented that I was driving a little fast.

· The need to be positive and encourage members to get to the point of full fellowship and Gospel living as soon as possible. Should normally not be more than a year.

· Work with each individual to bring them back with humble hearts to enjoy the fullness of the Gospel.

I know that I was a worried and concerned candidate truck driver when that examiner challenged me. I had been defending the way that I was driving. But I feel that I have been a more careful, purposeful, responsible, considerate truck, bus, car, or motorcycle driver since then, perhaps even a better pedestrian, because of the way that he taught me and then helped me to qualify as a better candidate. His approach was not to fail me for doing something that could be improved. He was helping to qualify me to be better than ever! He had reminded me that a truck is heavier than a car, and therefore needed to be driven with more caution than a car that can be stopped more easily in a time of emergency. He was teaching me things that would make me a more defensive driver at all times, not just when he or some official was looking on.

Blessings on you as you ponder the scriptures in similar kinds of ways - probably far better than these fumbling ponderings of mine.

Thank you for your service to the Lord and to His children as you teach them and invite them to come unto Christ.

I find it interesting that the thing that John recorded as the next thing that Jesus Christ taught was that He is the light of the world. He taught that 'he that followeth me shall not ^bwalk in ^cdarkness, but shall have the light of life.' May we be a light as He encouraged us to be. It is also interesting that the movie depicting this story shows Jesus teaching about compassion by referring to the law that teaches the lower law: 'an eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth'.  

I see a changing, softening heart depicted in these scenes, going from broken to healed.

Being part of the solution instead of part of the problem

We have had wonderful rains recently. 

A rainbow signifies that rain is on hand

A waterfall near Franschoek flows following rain and snow falls

Water glistening in dams looking over Franschoek Valley

Snow is a slow release form of precipitation

For some people living on the streets the rain was a real inconvenience because the rain wet their bedding. For some who had shelter, the rain was not such an inconvenience. For some it was a pleasure seeing the rain coming and watering the earth, then flowing into the storm water system and into the sea. For some, the rain was harvested and used for lasting effect in irrigating, washing or other useful purposes.

Construction of a dam enables water to be utilised in many ways, including generating electricity, and it can be channeled to a great distance from the storage dam

HF Verwoerd Dam, now named Gariep Dam, on the Orange River, photos by Ken Powrie

Our being prepared to receive rain is an example of a range of scenarios from a problem, not a problem, not a solution, and a distinct solution. You and I can also be part of the solution, or part of the problem.

There are certain homeless people who come to my door. I remember one, in particular, to whom we gave some tins of food. He was clearly hungry, unlike some who have simply discarded what was given to them because what they actually wanted was money for alcohol or something unwise. This beggar went around the corner, sat down, and ate from the tins. Then I saw the following morning when taking a walk, that he had left the tins in the gutter. Suddenly I had become part of the problem because my tins were littering the neighbourhood.

Litter dropped in alleyways where vagabonds hang out

Litter dropped right next to bins that are provided in our neighbourhood

Why is it that beggars who constantly receive from the community, from shelters, or from clinics and other services, do not give back to society by cleaning the streets – being part of the solution – rather than littering, or any other adverse behaviour – being part of the problem?

I love my country and it grieves me when anyone demonstrates a lack of love for our wonderful land. It is unfortunate that so many people simply litter, or are part of the problem in any other way.

Some litter at a roadside stop in the middle of the Karoo - 

litter thrown on the ground and not in the bin provided

There certainly are times when I feel like I am among the dazed 80%. Just maybe in some circumstances I would be considered among the doomed 10% 🙁

I am feeling dazed about the prospects of disposing of some stuff as we prepare to simplify our home that has 30 years and more of accumulated clutter. My wife is more the survivor 10% in many ways.... 

I guess that each of us might be in either category, depending on our strengths and the circumstances. My challenge is to try to be part of the solution - and to try to never be part of the problem - especially in the things that matter most.

Let each of us choose to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.