Judge Not

As promised, following is the script I wrote for Girls Camp- an account of the woman taken in adultery in my own words.


On one of the darkest days of my life, I came face to face with goodness.

I am a married woman. I was caught in the act of adultery by a group of angry men who immediately took me to face judgment. I was not properly dressed nor put together and as we entered the temple I felt naked, humiliated and exposed- not to mention unworthy to be in the temple.

My accusers dragged me in front of a man I had heard much talk of in the city. He was sitting in front of a group of people, teaching. I was degraded as the angry mob began spilling the details to this man whom the people called Jesus. Immediately, I fell to the damp earth in shame, hoping it might swallow me up.

The men intended to catch Jesus in a trap. They told him they had caught me in the very act of adultery. The law dictated that a person caught in adultery must be stoned, although this law had long since been abandoned or uninforced by the Jews. Still, they demanded I should be stoned to death, and then they asked Jesus, “What sayest thou?” Perhaps they were intending for Jesus to declare the law obsolete, which would be proof that he was presuming himself to be above the Law of Moses. Had Jesus proclaimed that I should suffer death, my accusers would have said Jesus was defying Roman authorities who were the only ones authorized to approve capital punishment. If he had said I should go unpunished, they would have charged him with disrespect for the Law of Moses.

I could hear the murmurs of the crowd and wished that I could be swept away from this place- but here I was, caught in the act of doing something that I should not- and I knew I must face the consequences of my actions. I could not do enough to hide my face, wondering if there might be someone I knew among all these people.

The longer the men spoke, the more clear it became to me that they were more interested in condemning Jesus than finding justice for my sin.

Immediately Jesus stooped down. My first instinct was to cover my head with my hands, believing that he was seeking a stone. Instead, with his finger, he began to write in the dirt as though he heard them not- and I relaxed my tense hands.

The men continued pressing Jesus for an answer. Jesus lifted himself up and the crowd quieted. It was at this moment I heard him tell the men, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

He again stooped to the earth and wrote on the ground. And again, the people fell silent.

The mob began to disperse, one by one, being convicted by their own conscience and I was left alone with Jesus. He did not leave me. He asked me where my accusers were? Had any of them condemned me?

I answered, “No man, Lord.”

And Jesus spoke the kindest words anyone had ever spoken to me, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

He never left me. Through the whole ordeal, he stayed and protected me from my accusers. He didn’t forgive me, yet he gave me hope that I could be forgiven. I felt neither condemned nor judged by Jesus but rather that I could repent and turn away from this sin and have a second chance to live worthily. Jesus didn’t worry about the trap that the men were trying to catch him in, instead his concern was for me - he showed me charity and taught me a better way. And in the process invited the men to examine their own lives. He focused on turning the men away and encouraging them to leave the temple, thus preserving the holiness of that place- and inviting me to become a better me.

Not once throughout the experience did Jesus cause me to feel embarrassed or ashamed. He instead taught me that when I make an incorrect decision I am always welcomed by His loving arms, and that I am a beloved daughter of God, worthy of His dignity.

I have never felt more love from an individual than I did on that day.

As I slowly walked the dusty road to my home to face my husband with the knowledge that my sin was public, I felt a joy I had never before experienced. I had been accepted by the one person whose life was the most opposite of mine- and still He loved me. I had been in His presence and had felt of His goodness. And now I knew that I wanted to change and he had taught me how I could do it.

A painful truth I learned was that because of my sin, I could not remain in His presence. But once I repented and promised to forsake that sin, He would always dwell with me.

Climbing the Mountain

As you may have read, I am recently returned from Girls Camp. And as you may have also read, you know that I had an amazing week.

Our stake is blessed to be able to go to an amazing camp- complete with cabins, electricity, indoor toilets, running water and cooks who kept us well fed. And those who were in charge of the spiritual feasts were even more amazing. I came home with so much more than I went in with.

I was in charge of 2nd year certification and cabin mom to 22 girls, ages 16-18, who were some of our youth camp leaders. These were stellar young women. They were so prepared for camp- their main responsibility was to teach these 2nd year girls all the certification requirements- and they truly fulfilled their assignments.

I was paired up with a woman in another ward whom I had never met before our first planning meeting in March. I so loved getting to know her and it was a blessing for me to work with her. And, you may recall a while back when I worried about my fun factor slipping- well, thanks to her, I am happy to report that I believe I have retrieved a bit of my fun. And I believe, in time, I shall have all my fun back! And let me tell you- YOU can't wait for that day.

Friday was hike day and as we started, it was a beautiful day- overcast with a nice little breeze. We were just over 8 minutes into our 5 mile hike when two of the girls lost confidence and wanted to turn back. As I listened to them, it came to me that they had never felt the satisfaction of succeeding on a hard task. I talked them through their anxiety and they continued on. Within a minute, the path flattened and our hike was small rises and easy terrain the rest of the way. It occurred to me that in life, we often stop just short of our ultimate rewards. Just when the path seems too hard, but if we persevere, it usually straightens and we find we are really much stronger than we thought we were. And we are blessed with beautiful rewards.

At the top of our hike, we stopped for lunch and completed a couple certification requirements. Then we unfurled a golden flag with a large "V" appliqued on it. I talked to the girls about committing to leading virtuous lives. Lives that will result in temple blessings. All those willing to commit signed the flag and declared their commitment. It was a wonderful moment- all these pure young women who had desires to live lives that would result in the greatest blessings possible. I'm telling you- spiritual experience.

Both girls completed the hike, all smiles and extremely proud of what they accomplished. Ready to take on the world!

But, the thing that impacted me most was a special assignment I was given to study the story of the woman taken in adultery in the New Testament and prepare a 5 minute account of the incident as if given in her own words. And then, I was to recite her experience- in full costume- 4 times on a particular night of camp. I was in great company. Some of the other women were Mary, the mother of Jesus; Mary and Martha; Mary Magdalene; the woman at the well; the wife of Jairus; the woman with an issue of blood. Each of us traveled around to 4 separate groups and shared our accounts of these women.

As I studied the account of this woman, I was touched with her story and humbled to attempt an enactment of her experience. I felt a love for her that transcends anything that I can explain. I was blessed to be given the assignment.

Check back Sunday- when I will post my script, along with a few feelings and a bit of my reflections following the experience.