#210
If you haven’t read the previous parts, you can view them here:
Part 1: Two lives. (Part 1)
Part 2: Two Lives (Part 2)
Part 3: Two Lives (part 3)
Part 4: Two Lives (part 4)
Part 5: Two Lives (Part 5)
Part 6: Two Lives (Part 6)
Part 7: Two Lives (Part 7)
The officer had just witnessed a suicide before his eyes and he couldn’t cope with his emotions. ‘What could cause someone to do that?’, Officer Ralph Locket thought. He was dismissed from the rest of his shift by his commanding officer. His captain had noticed the intensity of the situation and realized the need that the officer had. He encouraged Locket to find a place of rest and to let his mind catch up with the situation. Officer Locket returned home that night and tried to ‘move on’, but he couldn’t. The night passed by slowly until he finally fell asleep. He awoke startled, as his mind re-lived the previous day. Locket decided to visit his neighborhood church to find some peace. Opening the door on the side of the building, he walked in and entered the pastor’s office.
“Hello, what can I assist you with?”, asked the pastor.
“I have recently witnessed a tragedy and am struggling to overcome the grief and pain of seeing another human soul die.”
The pastor scratched his chin as he reached for his Bible with his other hand. He opened the Bible with one flip and then turned a few pages to arrive at his destination in 1 Corinthians. He began to read and focused on one verse. “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
“I don’t think I can endure this. I believe I chose the wrong occupation..”, argued Officer Ralph Locket to the pastor.
“Are you saying that the Bible has faults then?”
“Yes!”, the officer responded quickly before thinking. “Well… no, I didn’t mean that. It doesn’t seem to apply to me but I know that the words in that book are supposed to be true. I’m having difficulty thinking about life in general now.”
The pastor spoke with him and nothing seemed to encourage the discouraged officer.
“The story of Christ’s crucifixion is the best example that I can think of to share with you. He died for everyone when He had done no sin or evil. Everything that He did while on earth was for our benefit, and then He died to bring us eternal life. Does that make sense to you?”
Ralph shook his head in response to the question asked of him.
“You may think that the Bible makes no sense, and I disagree with you, it makes total sense and is valid proof for life, but I am trying to show you that there are things in its text that we might not be able to understand. The reason is because of the author. God has unconditional love, compassion and care. He is always right and He never makes a mistake. The only way I can understand the crucifixion is by looking at it with the mindset of knowing that our Savior is awesome and abounds in virtue and He ‘is’ perfect.
The two looked at each other for several seconds until Locket spoke,
“I believe that too but what I faced was too much—”
“Let me stop you there,” spoke the pastor. “It still may take time to overcome this challenge and you need to accept that. It could be a learning and growing experience for you. Embrace the time given to you and live it for Him.”
Locket walked out of the office and opened his car door. Memories of the previous day when he had pursued Lawrence Filler flashed back into his mind. He remembered holding the steering wheel and chasing the criminal because he felt that it was his duty. He tried to remind himself of the truth, ‘You did your job and may have saved several lives by arresting this man. It was not your fault’ The opposing thoughts pushed the truth out of his mind with ideas such as, ‘You drove him to his death.’, and , ‘How dare you find peace again?’
The officer knew that his mind was fighting a war and he decided to return to reality and live his life in the moment. He knew that he must go on and he started the ignition to his car. He returned home and tried to continue his family life despite the difficulties.
Meanwhile at his office, his captain had been informed of Locket’s disclosure of private information.
“He spoke about the event with a civilian?”
“Yes sir. That’s what our witness told us. He signed a form to appear in court, if necessary.”
“This is dire for Officer Locket. He knows better than to do such a thing,.. but I ‘do’ know that he is facing intense stress and anxiety after the death of Filler and he might have acted carelessly. Did Locket sign a document of privacy before speaking to this pastor?”, the captain inquired.
“No sir. We have the videotapes for evidence.”
“Did the pastor report this? Why would he do such a thing to an honest man such as, Ralph Locket.”
The captain worried about the future of Officer Locket, as well as his team. If the criminal had remaining family, they could try to press charges in court. ‘Locket knows better than this. You cannot share information from the workplace with anyone outside of the police force.’
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Until Tomorrow,
Eric
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