A few weeks ago I received a summons in the mail to report for jury duty in my county. A week ago I made my way to my county's courthouse to honorably "serve". It had been forty years since I had this honor and with my feeble mind as it is, I had very little remembrance of the experience.
I won't bore you with details of my time in this service. I will share a bit, though. A buddy from my church also was summoned for this experience. We began the week with him and me sitting in the back of course, listening to the orientation and instruction. I was early for a change that first day and was able to view other co-jury summoned folks as they arrived. That's an advantage to sitting in the back. There was one female person who got my attention as she was dressed kind of a cute quirky and very happily speaking to folks as she made her way to the front. The Church Buddy was called to join a panel to be questioned so he made his way to the front. The Friendly Person was also called and made her way to the front. I sat and crocheted and waited.
After an hour or so, the ones waiting were dismissed for lunch. When I arrived back, The Church Buddy was there. The courts had decided to call another panel to question for the same case before making their decision. Yep, my name was in that one. After that long questioning was done and the panel of 12 and an alternate were chosen, The Church Buddy, Me, and The Friendly Person were part of the jury. At that point, I officially met The Friendly Person.
The Friendly Person was the happiest person I think I have ever met. It only took a sentence or two for one to realize that she loves Jesus. (His name comes right up in her conversations.) And, more than that, she wants to be sure everyone else loves Jesus, too. She was cute and slightly younger than The Church Buddy who is decently younger than me, just so you can get the picture. Some folks would genuinely respond to her, others would do eye rolls and look bored. Either way, she was not affected in her obvious love for Jesus.
The next morning as we reported back, she had realized The Church Buddy and I were friends. Three of four of us women had the opportunity before the case began for the day to go to the jury assembly room for coffee. Long story, are you surprised? Me of many words....
By now, the Friendly Person has witnessed already to practically everyone there. As we are walking to get our coffee, she asks me, "What kind of need can we pray for you?" Well duh. Even though taken aback I immediately suggested healing for my gut. I mean--I have a long list of needs and I feared we didn't have a lot of time. Another girl came up for coffee, too, and her hand was held and The Friendly Person said, "We are going to pray. What can we pray for you?" At that point, I asked The Friendly Person what her prayer need was. Imagine my conviction when she said, "I just want to be the very best witness for my Jesus that I can." Shouldn't we all want that? Well, the three of us stood there with hands and hearts joined in that empty courtroom jury assembly room and she prayed for my gut, for the Lord to prepare a husband for the other girl, and for her own witness. Before ending the prayer, she directed me to finish it up and I prayed for wisdom as we all needed that.
At the lunch break, the Church Friend, The Friendly Person, and I decided to have lunch together. As we made our way to the city's famous hoagie shop, The Friendly Person began to practice a song she was to sing later in the week, "His Eye is on The Sparrow". She sang it all the way down the sidewalks. Loudly. Smiling as she met folks, singing beautifully all the way. At the hoagie shop, she made a young worker smile and be encouraged and she saw a family she had witnessed to at the local hospital. Their smiles said it all--and she didn't even really know them. The Church Buddy and I witnessed "making a difference" in action.
Before the panel began deliberations, she also asked if anyone would be offended if we had prayer before we began. If they were offended, they didn't voice it. The Church Friend and I prayed three times that day in an organized prayer. And guess what? No one objected. Imagine. No. One. Objected.
So when The Pastor preached his sermon last Sunday titled "The Salty Christian", I was again reminded of The Friendly Person and how she wanted so badly for everyone to love Jesus. I know Jesus smiles when she witnesses. And The Church Friend and I do, too, as she touched our lives tremendously and gave us a renewed sense of purpose to share Jesus. Granted everyone doesn't have the same kind of knack in sharing Him as she does, but we all have some ability to share Him in our own various ways.
I want to do it more.
As The Pastor's sermon scripture from Sunday says:
"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." Matthew 5:13
When I think on it, the Lord was sending me a message for sure last week with The Friendly Person and the Sunday sermon.
I'm considering.....you do the same.
I won't bore you with details of my time in this service. I will share a bit, though. A buddy from my church also was summoned for this experience. We began the week with him and me sitting in the back of course, listening to the orientation and instruction. I was early for a change that first day and was able to view other co-jury summoned folks as they arrived. That's an advantage to sitting in the back. There was one female person who got my attention as she was dressed kind of a cute quirky and very happily speaking to folks as she made her way to the front. The Church Buddy was called to join a panel to be questioned so he made his way to the front. The Friendly Person was also called and made her way to the front. I sat and crocheted and waited.
After an hour or so, the ones waiting were dismissed for lunch. When I arrived back, The Church Buddy was there. The courts had decided to call another panel to question for the same case before making their decision. Yep, my name was in that one. After that long questioning was done and the panel of 12 and an alternate were chosen, The Church Buddy, Me, and The Friendly Person were part of the jury. At that point, I officially met The Friendly Person.
The Friendly Person was the happiest person I think I have ever met. It only took a sentence or two for one to realize that she loves Jesus. (His name comes right up in her conversations.) And, more than that, she wants to be sure everyone else loves Jesus, too. She was cute and slightly younger than The Church Buddy who is decently younger than me, just so you can get the picture. Some folks would genuinely respond to her, others would do eye rolls and look bored. Either way, she was not affected in her obvious love for Jesus.
The next morning as we reported back, she had realized The Church Buddy and I were friends. Three of four of us women had the opportunity before the case began for the day to go to the jury assembly room for coffee. Long story, are you surprised? Me of many words....
By now, the Friendly Person has witnessed already to practically everyone there. As we are walking to get our coffee, she asks me, "What kind of need can we pray for you?" Well duh. Even though taken aback I immediately suggested healing for my gut. I mean--I have a long list of needs and I feared we didn't have a lot of time. Another girl came up for coffee, too, and her hand was held and The Friendly Person said, "We are going to pray. What can we pray for you?" At that point, I asked The Friendly Person what her prayer need was. Imagine my conviction when she said, "I just want to be the very best witness for my Jesus that I can." Shouldn't we all want that? Well, the three of us stood there with hands and hearts joined in that empty courtroom jury assembly room and she prayed for my gut, for the Lord to prepare a husband for the other girl, and for her own witness. Before ending the prayer, she directed me to finish it up and I prayed for wisdom as we all needed that.
At the lunch break, the Church Friend, The Friendly Person, and I decided to have lunch together. As we made our way to the city's famous hoagie shop, The Friendly Person began to practice a song she was to sing later in the week, "His Eye is on The Sparrow". She sang it all the way down the sidewalks. Loudly. Smiling as she met folks, singing beautifully all the way. At the hoagie shop, she made a young worker smile and be encouraged and she saw a family she had witnessed to at the local hospital. Their smiles said it all--and she didn't even really know them. The Church Buddy and I witnessed "making a difference" in action.
Before the panel began deliberations, she also asked if anyone would be offended if we had prayer before we began. If they were offended, they didn't voice it. The Church Friend and I prayed three times that day in an organized prayer. And guess what? No one objected. Imagine. No. One. Objected.
So when The Pastor preached his sermon last Sunday titled "The Salty Christian", I was again reminded of The Friendly Person and how she wanted so badly for everyone to love Jesus. I know Jesus smiles when she witnesses. And The Church Friend and I do, too, as she touched our lives tremendously and gave us a renewed sense of purpose to share Jesus. Granted everyone doesn't have the same kind of knack in sharing Him as she does, but we all have some ability to share Him in our own various ways.
I want to do it more.
As The Pastor's sermon scripture from Sunday says:
"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." Matthew 5:13
When I think on it, the Lord was sending me a message for sure last week with The Friendly Person and the Sunday sermon.
I'm considering.....you do the same.
Sweet Sister, I am so thankful that you notice life and remark on it so honestly. What a gift you are to this world!
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