Last week I had the honor of serving on jury duty. I met some interesting people, learned some things about guns and about the law. I saw some disturbing manifestations of society’s ills. In all of that, one thing that really stood out for me was the disconnect between what we say we believe and how we live.
Honeychild, let me tell you about it….
While sitting in the juror room, I met a woman whose name was Peace. She shared that she wasn’t happy to have been selected because she desired to back to work. She talk about how much everyone depended on her, she was the secretary that ran the place, the PhDs didn’t have any smarts and couldn’t survive without her, etc. I asked her a few questions about how she felt about that level of responsibility. She started talking about how they didn’t appreciate her, some called her mean. Some said that she didn’t know how to talk to people but she was just trying to get things done right because she didn’t have time for people. She shared that her supervisor even has to pull her aside from time to time to get to tone down but she didn’t care because she’s been in the same position for over twenty years care She started and seen them all come and go. Peace went on to talk about how much she had to do, praise dance practice and cooking ministry and taking care of the pastor’s pulpit and so on. She was very busy doing God’s work she said. That, she said, is probably why she was having trouble staying awake during testimony. Oh Wow!
Fast forward, we are in deliberation. It is difficult, more difficult than we all thought it would be. Without going into detail about the case, I’ll just say that we had some tension to address. Well, here it goes…Peace is sitting on the outside of the discussion circle, I start hearing rumbling about wanting to go to work tomorrow so we better decide something. Then she gets up, storms to the whiteboard and starts yelling and banging each point on the board. Errr! We are all shocked and confused. Someone tells her she should calm down. Someone else agrees. She gets louder and crass. The outburst is over in a few minutes and we resume.
Voting done, it look like I’m the hold out. I need peace with this decision, to know that we all gave due diligence. I ask each person to give their reasons for concluding the verdict. Most people respond and I say that I need a few minutes to process the information. O.K. I am ready to take another vote. I say what I’ve been thinking and we vote. The foreman announces the verdict. Wait I say. “Did everyone vote? I didn’t see all hands go up? “Peace: “Ya’ll told me to calm down. You didn’t want my opinion before. You don’t need it now.” Errr! We are all shocked and confused again. Come on Peace! Foreman asks, “What do we do now?” I say we send a note to the Judge and ask what to do when a juror refuses to participate. Peace: “I DID NOT REFUSE TO PARTICIPATE. I WAITED FOR YOU TO MAKE A DECISION. NOW YOU CAN WAIT.” I see, Peace is not so peaceful. We’re being held hostage. We read, tell a few jokes, small talk and then PEACE startles us one last time, “GUILTY.” Yes, Peace, guilty and so are you.
Honeychild, there are many things that can be taken out of this experience. What I want to share today is that your good works for the Lord, your commitment to your job, your praise dance on Sunday morning all mean nothing if the people around you can’t be witness to your faith without you saying so. Live your life as a praise dance so that all can SEE your grace, joy and peace.

Scripture Reference: Corinthians 16:14 Let everything you do be done in love (true love God and man as inspires by God’s love for us).
Ephesians 4:2 (NIV “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the
bond of peace.”
Ephesians 5: 1-2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God