(NOTE: My friend, Jim, who I mentioned several posts ago as fighting cancer, entered the presence of God on Tuesday morning. We are missing his big blue eyes, his teasing, his incredible skills as a handyman, and his relaxed and welcoming friendship. Please pray for his wife, Gail, as she starts a new walk down the path of grief).
On Tuesday, I had the privilege of sitting in a jury box being questioned by a prosecutor and a defense attorney. In my almost 62 years of living, I’ve been called for jury selection maybe six or seven times. Every time, I would have begged on my knees to sit on a jury. It just sounds like a fascinating experience. The courtroom is an interesting place to me. I love watching the TV channel covering live and real courtroom cases. BUT I’ve never been allowed to sit on a jury. I’ve always been kicked off the courtroom island.
Why? Because my husband was a policeman for 30 years and even though now retired, I still have to disclose that interesting bit of information. (Should I just say he’s a freelance writer like me? Would that be deceptive? I just asked Larry, he said, “Yes!” OK, back to my story… But it would be for a worthy cause…OK, back to my story).
A friend of mine who is a policeman’s wife was recently allowed to be on a jury, so I went in on Tuesday with a very hopeful heart. But oh, no, the first person the defense attorney picked to send off the island was me! Grumble, grumble, grumble. I was really disappointed. Maybe it’s really my face… I digress. Or I seemed too eager to be impartial. I digress. Who knows! I’ll never know and now I’m convinced, I’m never going to serve unless I am called into a civil case. Unfortunately, our courthouse rarely hosts civil cases. Just ask my attorney neighbor who travels far away for her civil cases.
But as I walked off the island, oh, I mean, walked out of the courtroom, I wondered, “Why am I so eager to do this? Why does having a person’s future in my hands seem so attractive? Why do I want to have the pressure of trying to stand my ground if I’m not in agreement with other members of the jury? Why do I feel like I can make such huge decisions?”
I don’t have the answers for those questions, but I did become acutely aware and grateful thinking about God being a just judge and jury member. OK, just a judge. There won’t be any jury in heaven deliberating our innocence or guilt. Only God will make all the decisions. Only God can see the motives of our hearts. He knows everything about us and at the final judgment, the only thing God will need to know is whether you and I are clothed in Jesus’ robe of righteousness because we have depended upon Jesus to cleanse us from our sins, thus making Him the Lord of our lives.
Isn’t that the most amazing thing ever? Aren’t you glad you don’t have to sit at the defense table hoping and praying that the jury can figure out the truth? Aren’t you thrilled that God will declare you innocent because He knows you are His child?
Our country is blessed by a justice system that is the best in the world. Heaven is the only place where a superior system resides. And I’m grateful I won’t be kicked off any heavenly jury.
But can I still hope that there’s a chance that I’ll someday serve on a jury? Don’t worry, I will keep telling them my husband was a cop.