Well, almost. I've had two weeks of jury duty, and in the end I was one person away from actually serving on a jury. I was hoping to come away with something profound to say about the judicial process. I had MORE than enough time to reflect on it, as we waited. And waited. The people waiting with me were generally not seeming to be thrilled with this opportunity to fulfill their civic duty. But there was this small-framed man who looked unmistakably African. The ONLY one who bothered to wear a suit. I never saw him speak to anyone (most of the 75 or so people never did), but I purposed to try to sit by him the next day to see what HE thought about the opportunity to serve on a jury of peers. To give someone their chance to have their case heard by people just like them. Unfortunately, his group was one of the ones not called back, so I didn't have a chance.
What I know is that God loves justice. And He loves mercy. There was a young mom on trial yesterday who made some bad choices, whether proven guilty of the charges she faced or not. There are consequences, whether imposed by a court or not. And as jury members were questioned for selection, she got to hear a lot about what they believe is right and wrong, and she has a lot to think about. I hope over time she has learned from the mistakes she has made, and that someone has at least made an effort to introduce her to the God of justice...and mercy.
I just have to say, I really appreciate the rights we have as Americans to a fair trial. Our system, to quote the judge, is not perfect. But wow, is it ever better than most. It wasn't exactly handy, but I'd gladly serve on jury duty again. You never know when you're going to need justice. And I also have to say, much more than the right to a fair trial, I appreciate the mercy that's mine in Christ. I KNOW I need mercy...daily. Thank you Jesus!
What I know is that God loves justice. And He loves mercy. There was a young mom on trial yesterday who made some bad choices, whether proven guilty of the charges she faced or not. There are consequences, whether imposed by a court or not. And as jury members were questioned for selection, she got to hear a lot about what they believe is right and wrong, and she has a lot to think about. I hope over time she has learned from the mistakes she has made, and that someone has at least made an effort to introduce her to the God of justice...and mercy.
I just have to say, I really appreciate the rights we have as Americans to a fair trial. Our system, to quote the judge, is not perfect. But wow, is it ever better than most. It wasn't exactly handy, but I'd gladly serve on jury duty again. You never know when you're going to need justice. And I also have to say, much more than the right to a fair trial, I appreciate the mercy that's mine in Christ. I KNOW I need mercy...daily. Thank you Jesus!
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