Sin is Not His Focus, Freedom is.

“The same thing I see in you.”

That was what the Lord whispered to me one Wednesday evening, in the middle of prayer.

Earlier that day, I couldn’t shake the story of the woman at the well. It replayed in my mind on a loop—unusual, because while I was familiar with the story, I never considered it particularly relatable or teachable for me. I knew it, but I didn’t see myself in it.

And then I did what we’re often hesitant to do.

I asked God.

“What did You see in her?”

I assumed there had to be something remarkable about this woman—something special Jesus noticed and wanted others to notice too. But if I’m honest, the most memorable part of the story to me had always been her sin. Her situation. Her reputation. Her scandal.

I assumed that’s what Jesus saw—because that’s what everyone else saw.

And I think many of us do the same. We assume the loudest thing about us is our failure. That our past speaks louder than our purpose. That our mess is the headline.

But when the Lord answered me that night, I was shocked, convicted, and deeply curious.

He said,

“The same thing I see in you.”

Lord… you mean my sin?

My situation?

My flaws?

That’s what I thought He meant.

But when I returned to the passage, I realized how wrong I was.

Jesus did not meet the woman at the well to expose her—He met her to free her.

He knew her story, yes.

He acknowledged her truth, absolutely.

But her sin was not His focus.

Her freedom was.

His focus was salvation.

His focus was living water.

His focus was an invitation to a life that would never thirst again.

What appeared to be a chance encounter was actually a divine appointment—one that turned a woman known for her mess into an evangelist of the Lord. She immediately ran back to the very community that knew her past and testified without shame, without hesitation, and without fear.

Not because her story changed—but because her Savior did.

“When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’…

Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’

Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.’”

John 4:7–15 (NIV)

Jesus didn’t wait for her to clean herself up.

He didn’t ask her to rewrite her story.

He didn’t disqualify her because of her past.

He offered her Himself.

And when I saw the story through that lens, something shifted in me forever.

I realized:

I will never thirst again.

And I will testify for the rest of my life.

Because His goodness is unmatched.

His grace is undeniable.

And His love changes everything.

That’s the truth.

That’s the testimony.

That’s The Whole Loaf.

with love & grace