Where Was I?

Jackson County, Tennessee, Courthouse

I sat in a court room yesterday, arriving in time to get a front-row seat at the arraignment of a man for homicide. As I sat with a friend I overheard whispered conversations from others seated behind us... and around us. They all seemed so familiar with being on probation, in jail, getting "caught", not being "caught," and all things related. The way some people become comfortable with that kind of turmoil is something I accept, but not something I understand.

Back to the murder suspect and his situation. There is much that will come out over the next few months or even years, but one thing seems certain: events have been building to this for some time. The taking of this particular life may or may not have been coincidence, but anger, malice, broken relationships, and twisted thinking all played a role. This dynamic has been underway for a while.

The One who may have made a difference along the way, derailing the evil, pain, and loss may not have been introduced. Was that my job? Did I have an opportunity to impact some of the people in this misery back before it came to this? Was I not paying attention, or perhaps I was paying attention to my own agenda and not noticing others I had the opportunity to touch?

Maybe it wasn't me, but you who wasn't seeing what should have been seen. I don't feel any better thinking it was you. Even if it was you this time, it has been me at other times. When you and I step out of the "servant of God" role just for a little while it can make a huge difference.

You and I may no longer be able to impact this death, but we may be able to introduce Jesus and derail future tragedies like this.

The question still haunts me though: If it was me, where was I? What was I doing instead?