All Rise For The Jury

Last month, I was summoned for jury duty.  I'm 45 and this was the first time they requested me for my 'civic responsibility'!  So I head to the court house on a Monday morning, freshly caffeinated from my late night (1:30am) of movie watching ( NOT thinking I'd be selected to be a juror!).  Jury selection began upon arrival and the 60 potential jurors enter the courtroom, then only 21 are called to sit in the actual jury seats.  I was one of the lucky ones.  Funny, how I somehow  felt special.  As if to say (like Sally Fields receiving an Academy Award) "they like me.....they really like me!"  From that point, both attorneys start asking questions, trying to determine who would be a right fit for this trial.  Then, each lawyer dismisses 4 people and we are left with, viola, 13 jurors!  The judge informs us this particular trial  will last  approximately 8 days, and asks if there would  be any conflicts for us. Prior to the wave of excuses she must've expected to come, she reminded us of our current soldiers in the military, who serve our country everyday (though inconvenient for them and their families) for the very reason we were there:  having the right to a fair trial.  Excuses still came from a few, but eventually we had a solid 13 people, ready to serve!

Selection process was done and Wham! we start with the first witness.  As the day got longer,  my 'alertness' went out the door with the bailiffs. I yawned way too many times to count. And I am certain I gave the young man next to me a few chuckles as I not only nodded off, but did the ole' 'jerk shuffle' that thankfully, jolted me awake, for the next round of witnesses.  Note to self: no more late nights for me during this trial!  Each time we entered and left the courtroom, the bailiff would say "All rise for the jury".  We felt like royalty. And although initially it seemed unnecessary, I realized how serving as a juror, was a position held in high esteem, and they rose to show us their respect for serving in such an important capacity.  Being selected to 'decide on a verdict' was not something to be taken lightly.  The fate of someone else's future - was in our hands. 

As jurors, we each received a legal sized tablet of paper.  Witness after witness, the clerk of courts would ask them to raise their right hand, place their left hand on the bible and say "Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth - the whole truth - and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" During the duration of the trial, I took 30 pages of notes.  I was serious about my civic duty; no more dosing off for me.  During this trial, because of the deluge of expert witnesses, we were schooled in so many areas.  We didn't just "learn something new everyday", we learned about 40 hours worth of new stuff! Here are a few important facts that I never knew before:

• The burden of proof is on the prosecuting attorney
• Wind direction can influence an ARC map
• Lawyers can be drama queens too
• NFPA921 - is code for 'accepted engineering principles'
• When you are on the losing side of the battle, use the 'art of distraction'
• The burn patterns of a fire can be clearly documented through photos
• Too much current in a primary volt (120v) can cause the secondary volt (24v) to overheat
• Sometimes,  insurance companies do not want to pay for damages to their clients business in cases of negligence.
• Witnesses take an oath to tell the truth, but somehow skirt around it, in order to sway a decision in their favor.
• Never go the bathroom during the start of jury deliberation, or you'll be voted jury foreman 

• The ironic thing about this whole process, is that during this same time, I had been working on a writing assignment about 'forgiveness'.  Much of my information came from a book called "Total Forgiveness", written by R.T.Kendell, as well as my personal testimony in this area.   

Being in an actual courtroom - with lawyers, a judge, a juror and witnesses - really brought to light what it looks like when we hold bitterness and unforgiveness in our heart towards another person.

Many of us grew up reciting 'The Lords Prayer' in church. "Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.  Forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one."  Now, this is what's interesting.  What's left out of the Lord's prayer (that we recite), are the very verses that follow. "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  BUT, if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will NOT forgive your sins. "  (Matthew 6:9-15)

How often do we ask God to forgive us for our mistakes, then turn around and justify our own unforgiveness towards another.  We hang on to an offense or grudge, because the pain of their behavior is just hard to let go. We want them to pay. They deserve our judgment.   Yet, when we don't forgive we are really saying 'God, you can just move over. I'll take it from here.' You crown yourself judge, jury and executioner, and presume to take God's place. He alone is the ONLY righteous judge. He will do right. He will clear your name. He will deal fairly with those who hurt you.

In our American court systems, we have an earthly judge.  And even though they have more knowledge of the law than probably all 12 jurors put together, they still are not the one who decides the verdict.  Instead, 12 people, of varying personality and education, make that decision.  This process caused me to examine my own past mistakes and what that would look like if every 'wrong' I ever committed was brought before a judge and a jury.  Imagine the whole court knowing my 'crime' if you will.  There is the prosecuting lawyer bringing forth all of the witnesses, testifying to the fact that "yes, I did this wrong".  And my defense lawyer would do his best to clear my name and prove otherwise.  After hearing all the facts, the jurors would decide my fate and the judge would issue my penance.  What would our punishment  look like?  In reality, when a verdict comes back as "guilty" for a crime committed, there is sentence.  You did the crime? You will do the time. There is no grace. No mercy.  In rare cases, a person may receive a pardon; which is defined as a legal transaction that releases an offender from the consequences of their action, such as a penalty or a sentence.

I think of Nelson Mandela, who is perhaps the best example in the twentieth century of a man who has taught us how to forgive.  After 27 years of political incarceration - the longest serving political incarceration - he emerged unscathed and told his people to forgive their oppressors and focus on the future and on building a new, United Nation. In spite of the devastating trauma of apartheid, Mandela chose the path of forgiveness and reconciliation rather than the policy of revenge and vindictiveness.  The world expected that a ghastly bloodbath would overwhelm South Africa, but this did not happen. South Africans managed an extraordinarily peaceful transition between governments and avoided a major ethnic and racial war.

This is what I know to be true:  When we have done something wrong, if we confess it to God with a sincere heart, and ask Him to forgive us, He will forgive us and forget our trespasses.  How amazing is that? If we are taken to court, and are convicted by a jury, our 'crime' will go on a permanent record.  It cannot be wiped away.  How thankful I am that all of my wrongdoing is not exposed for everyone to see.  And I am challenged to do the same for others; whether they ask forgiveness of me or not.  I do not want to expose them. I do not want to recite the Lord's prayer, without truly meaning what it says.  If I can't live by those words, then memorizing them serves no good purpose. I want to walk out my faith.  I want to live authentically.  Is forgiving easy? No, its hard. It can be excruciating. It can be humbling. Proverbs 19:11 says "It is to a man's glory to overlook an offense."  What if that's our reward? What if forgiving someone else is far more spectacular in God's eyes than anything else.  Reserving judgment for God alone shows that we are already beginning to forgive. 

So, in the end, I found the adventure of being a juror quite fascinating.  My fellow jurors found it amusing, too, that I wanted to go back to school to be a judge, an electrical engineer, a fire investigator, a courtroom stenographer and a bailiff (although I'm pretty sure there is on the job training to be a bailiff) lol.  Since I don't have the time or energy at this point in my life to earn all those degrees, I'll choose to live vicariously through re-runs of "Law and Order". This experience opened my eyes and made me even more thankful that God has given me more "pardons" than I can count; way more than I deserve. And that I have the best defense lawyer that there ever was; who pleads my case before a higher Judge, when I humbly ask forgiveness.  He doesn't wear a three piece suit and his gavel is saturated with grace:)