Casting Stones at Shades of Grey

There's a story in the Bible about a woman caught in adultery who is about to be stoned. As Jesus intervenes, He tells the people, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." As I have been recently accused of casting stones at Shades of Grey, let me clarify something. I am NOT without sin. I am not without wrong doing and things of the flesh HAVE had footholds in my life. It is because of these things that my heart is so burdened for women's ministry.

I used to love to read romance novels in general. I thought it would be okay because I skipped the "racy" parts anyway. There have been books on my Kindle that I would probably have rathered people didn't know about. We all come short. Scripture even says so. So, I am NOT casting stones at anyone who has read SoG.

A friend told me the other day, "I read the books. I know now I shouldn't have, but I can't change that." My response was, "I don't get to judge what you have done in the past. That's not my job. I am glad, however, that you know now that you would have been better off if you hadn't read them."

Another comment came to me indirectly that I have no right to speak out against these books because I do not know what it is like to be caught up in this type of addiction. But here's the thing. We have ALL been caught up in sin at some time. There isn't one single one of us that is without sin, otherwise we wouldn't have needed the blood atonement of the cross. I don't have the right to cast stones at ANYONE for the things they have done.

Yes, my testimony is one of faithfulness. I have been a Christ follower from a very young age and have walked with Him most of my entire life. That doesn't mean there haven't been sin that I have struggled with. That doesn't mean that there haven't been things that I have done that I wish I didn't.

In the interest of complete transparency, I like to gossip. I know I shouldn't and I confess it constantly. I try to temper my words the way God wants them to be. I try to "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of my mouth" but sometimes I falter. That is sin. It's my sin. It is just as bad as any other sin as there is no scale of sin. I am ashamed of my sin and every time I ask God to forgive me He does but I know He shakes His head in sadness every time I do it again. Believe me, I think it's much harder to stop gossiping than to stop reading a certain genre of books. But that's because gossip is my struggle. We all have them. Please do not think less of me because of my sin and I will not think less of you for yours. The only difference between me and a non-believer is that my sins are redeemed and I know what kind of life I am supposed to live. Y'all, I falter DAILY. Giving up an attachment to "mommy porn" or erotica is no different than my attachment to gossip. Except that my sin is more socially acceptable, which makes it even HARDER to stop.

You have no idea how hard it was for me to write the paragraph above. I hope someone somewhere is encouraged by it because I am honestly embarrassed to have written it. The point is, I do NOT have the right to cast stones. HOWEVER, there is more to the story.

When the woman looked up and Jesus asked where her accusers had all gone (they had all slinked-slunk?- away at this point), she told him she had none. THEN He looked at her and said, "Go, and sin no more."

Go, and sin no more. See, there's the rub. We as women have a bad habit of pointing fingers and making accusations. We look at others and think, "Well, their sin is worse than mine, so I'm ok." We look at ourselves and think, "I'm okay. It's just a little conversation or book or story or movie, etc." We look around and think, "Well, SHE has no right to throw stones at me. I know what she does." Ladies, that's the enemy wrapping us in the complacency of our sin so that we cannot even see it anymore. There is more to the story. "Go, and sin no more."

So, no, I don't have the right to cast stones at anyone who has read or is reading Shades of Grey. I have my own sin to worry about. I am just grateful that putting my faith in a God who can raise the dead means having faith in the forgiveness that is readily available. I'll pray for you to see God gain victory over your sin if you will pray for me to see God have victory over mine.