Jury Duty

I had the privilege of going to jury duty. I was disappointed at first, to have to take the time away from the kids during summer, but as usual God used it in my life.

It was an interesting case, a gang shooting gone awry.It was an eye opening experience to me to see how far removed my life in this Mesa bubble is. Some of the gang members were as old as Nolan and the girls involved were so jaded. I was totally drawn into the case, the people involved and what a life without God can lead to. The main purpose in some of these gang members was purely to promote the gang they represented as they risked their lives,money and even their own children to do so. It is a life filled with depravity as they sought acceptance in their own world.

I noted some similarities with my own christian circle as I see others sacrifice everything for the opportunity to show love to those who need it. The difference being to promote God instead of a gang color or clan. The loyalty to holding to what you believe in regardless of the consequences are not so different at all.

It was a very dramatic case with the lawyers yelling, accusing, pointing and boldly intimidating while they both presented their case. The judge was very firm as he would call to order the courtroom. I spent two weeks in a small room getting to know thirteen other people from all walks of life while we learned about the life of the defendant. I took great notes and caught many inconsistencies with a lot of the witnesses and their testimonies. I was very disappointed when after the trial the judge chose by lot, the two alternate jurors. I was one, as well as the juror I named "smelly guy".

The real treasure came when I was able to bond with these people that I had just met. We shared an experience that caused a foundation that broke down walls. I must say, I originally was so excited to catch up on my reading instead of talking to these strangers that I knew I would not see again. God had other plans with my time and showed me just how selfish I was being. When I finally engaged myself and put down my book, it allowed an opportunity to get in on a deeper level and share what is really important and not just superficial conversation. I am thankful for the lesson that every day is a day and new way to share God's goodness.

The trial is now over and the defendant was found guilty. Even though I did not get to be a part of the deliberation process, I still had the chance to see the justice system in action and build new relationships. I am going to lunch tomorrow with one of the jurors and I am excited to see where our friendship will go. We all nicknamed each other so we would have a point of reference to remember each other based on certain things we stood for.

I hope I get the chance to do it again, even though I had to reschedule all my appointments, the kids had to help me with dinner and childcare was frustrating at times. I am thankful for the chance to have been a part of life that I am not normally accustomed to. It is good when we get out of our comfort zones to reach out to others. A lesson I needed to learn as I selfishly think of myself when instead I could think of others first.