Jury duty, the he/she/it duck and prayer
It all started last week with me thinking about Jury Duty. I was totally on the fence about it. I have never done it before and was interested in the process - the same way that I am interested in driving down any road I have never been down before. I just want to go there and see there and experience 'there' so that I can say that I have been there.
Anyway, logically I do have the freedom to serve on a Jury. I am not a criminal. I don't currently have a lot of daytime commitments aside from getting Miss E to and from school, which is easily enough remedied. I do have a somewhat level head on my shoulders. And I do really appreciate the justice system, even though it does have it's failures. And seriously, Pauly Shore's role in Jury Duty kept rolling through my head. He had fun - so why not, right? I guess as a whole I wanted to be a part of the experience, but there was also a niggling worry about how much it would end up screwing up my schedule and would I hear or see things that would haunt me.
A friend had served on a Jury earlier this year and she shared some of her experience with me, just so that I would know some about how the process for reporting and being selected worked. And other than knowing where I would be at 9:00 Wednesday morning I didn't have much to do other than wonder what the next day would bring.
So I turned my wonder into prayer and began asking the Lord to give me wisdom and prudence. I also asked that He would help me to see people the way that He sees them.
And then the next thing I know it is Wednesday morning and I have dropped Miss E off at school and Smiley Girl off at daycare and I am driving through downtown when I come across a duck that is trying to cross the road.
The closer I get to the duck I realize that he/she/it is limping - and my heart is immediately broken for this poor duck. I quickly decide that there really is nothing that I can do for he/she/it - so I end up praying that God would ease that poor duck's pain. And, somehow in that moment, I end up this huge ball of emotion over a he/she/it duck.
To make the Jury Duty story short, the Defendant ended up taking a Plea deal and the entire room of jurors was set free.
But the rest of the story is that by adding that part about seeing people the way that God sees them to my simple prayer for wisdom and prudence a whole world of hurt has opened up before me.
Not just he/she/it ducks.
But people who are holding onto so much hurt that they go around shooting up places like the Canadian Parliament Building and schools.
Homeless families.
A man that was injured in a crash that took the life of a young girl. It wasn't his fault in any way, but he will bear the scars of not only physical pain but emotional pain too.
Soldiers and the silent battle that they fight as they deal with memories of things that you and I will never have to see.
A five year old boy with two broken arms.
People that struggle for hope a midst hopelessness.
Babies that cling for life.
Women and men who are stuck in the midst of an unknown.
And I find myself wanting to cry for them.
I find myself praying.
I find myself wishing that there was more that I could do, even though I know that prayer is mighty.
There is a whole world of hurt happening both inside and outside of our little reality.
Pray for those hurts when you see them.
They are way bigger than you and I - but they are nothing compared to Jesus.
Anyway, logically I do have the freedom to serve on a Jury. I am not a criminal. I don't currently have a lot of daytime commitments aside from getting Miss E to and from school, which is easily enough remedied. I do have a somewhat level head on my shoulders. And I do really appreciate the justice system, even though it does have it's failures. And seriously, Pauly Shore's role in Jury Duty kept rolling through my head. He had fun - so why not, right? I guess as a whole I wanted to be a part of the experience, but there was also a niggling worry about how much it would end up screwing up my schedule and would I hear or see things that would haunt me.
A friend had served on a Jury earlier this year and she shared some of her experience with me, just so that I would know some about how the process for reporting and being selected worked. And other than knowing where I would be at 9:00 Wednesday morning I didn't have much to do other than wonder what the next day would bring.
So I turned my wonder into prayer and began asking the Lord to give me wisdom and prudence. I also asked that He would help me to see people the way that He sees them.
And then the next thing I know it is Wednesday morning and I have dropped Miss E off at school and Smiley Girl off at daycare and I am driving through downtown when I come across a duck that is trying to cross the road.
The closer I get to the duck I realize that he/she/it is limping - and my heart is immediately broken for this poor duck. I quickly decide that there really is nothing that I can do for he/she/it - so I end up praying that God would ease that poor duck's pain. And, somehow in that moment, I end up this huge ball of emotion over a he/she/it duck.
To make the Jury Duty story short, the Defendant ended up taking a Plea deal and the entire room of jurors was set free.
But the rest of the story is that by adding that part about seeing people the way that God sees them to my simple prayer for wisdom and prudence a whole world of hurt has opened up before me.
Not just he/she/it ducks.
But people who are holding onto so much hurt that they go around shooting up places like the Canadian Parliament Building and schools.
Homeless families.
A man that was injured in a crash that took the life of a young girl. It wasn't his fault in any way, but he will bear the scars of not only physical pain but emotional pain too.
Soldiers and the silent battle that they fight as they deal with memories of things that you and I will never have to see.
A five year old boy with two broken arms.
People that struggle for hope a midst hopelessness.
Babies that cling for life.
Women and men who are stuck in the midst of an unknown.
And I find myself wanting to cry for them.
I find myself praying.
I find myself wishing that there was more that I could do, even though I know that prayer is mighty.
There is a whole world of hurt happening both inside and outside of our little reality.
Pray for those hurts when you see them.
They are way bigger than you and I - but they are nothing compared to Jesus.
Comments
Post a Comment
I love to hear from you!