As I think of the battles I have found over the years, an ally I always wanted on my side was Justice. Friends of justice included Truth, Honor, Righteousness, Fairness, and Accountability. I believed that if I brought this six-pack with Justice at the point, anything I was trying to do under this banner would work!
When I reflect with the benefit of time, I wonder. What made me so sure that I knew what was right? Did I look for a consensus? If so, was I listening to the answers? It is hard to find any memories supporting a “yes” answer.
Three lessons continue to stay with me.
The speed one is moving in is the speed. The reasons are many. One can try to increase it, but one of the lessons is to gift one’s push with the courage to keep on pushing even if things do not move as fast as you think they should. Said another way, if I am thankful for Divine patience with my heart, mind and action (I fail a lot!), the rhetorical question haunting me is my willingness to be patient with others.
The actions we take have consequences that we hope will never come true. I was candidly blunt in expressing my reactions and emotions when a delivery was hours late. In another part of my life I am late on a deliverable – am I willing to hear a replay of my conversation in another setting? I found myself wishing that someone, anyone, would “give him a gift – a costume of curses; he can wear curses every day of the week!” (Psalm 109.19)
What would I do with this gift?
Sometimes life is unfair, unjust, and wrong. A waitress missed an order. When I reminded her of the request, the price had changed. By the time our conversation was over, she was in tears. Two questions were asked. What is the price you are willing to charge for customer happiness? What is one willing to give for compassion and mercy?
Justice is rarely the final answer.
