Inside Looking Out

A streak of lightning flashes across the sky. The rumble of thunder feels distant, almost muted, as if I were wearing earplugs.

A common cold has me temporarily sidelined—sitting here at the Pilgrim’s Desk, inside… looking outside.

Warm chamomile tea, with a teaspoon of raw, unfiltered honey, soothes my throat and quiets my usual “let’s go” mindset.

God’s timing is always perfect.

He knows when I need to rest—from exercise, from walking the pilgrim’s trail, from showing up at the coffee shop awaiting Divine Appointments.

He knows when I need to sit still.

To observe what’s happening out there… and in here.

Be still.

This time—inside looking outside—becomes reflective… introspective.

It helps me sort what matters from what doesn’t. Like going through the mail that just arrived—most of it is junk, quickly discarded, but now and then, something important requires attention.

Then the Holy Spirit stirs.

A quiet reminder rises within me:

“He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”

I’m immediately struck.

Maybe I’ve been too critical. Too quick to judge what I see “out there.”

From the inside looking outside, it’s easy to pick up a stone—to take aim, to feel justified.

But like a pitch-back net returning a thrown ball, the stone comes back to me with equal force.

I lower my hand.

Like those who stood before the adulterous woman, I let the stone drop.

And something shifts.

Condemnation gives way to compassion.

A ray of sunlight breaks through the clouds.

And the quiet work of rest… and prayer… continues.

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“He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” John 8:7 (NKJV)