Justice, Mercy, and Grace

3 of my favorite attributes of God are that He is just, He is merciful, and He is gracious. When I try to explain the differences among justice, mercy, and grace to the kids (or whomever) I always use this example: The speed limit on the Parkway is 65mph. I often, and blatantly, go significantly over this limit. If I get pulled over and get issued a ticket, that is justice. I broke the law and I deserve to be punished=I get what I deserve. If I get pulled over and I get a warning, that's mercy. I was reprimanded for my crime but the punishment was withheld=I get less than I deserve. Every time I zoom past the hiding police cars in their speed traps and they DON'T pull out to nab me, that's grace. Getting what I don't deserve!
I went to court this morning to speak at the sentencing of one of our kids. I haven't done this for a while and I was nervous. I'd written out a speech to memorize and kept debating whether or not to include the scripture from James 2:13-"Mercy triumphs over justice". I've used that scripture before at work when deciding reprimands for staff or kids. I did some research on the judge I'd be standing in front of and was informed that he was no nonsense and "took no shenanigans" (whatever a shenanigan is--I wasn't going to bring it into his courtroom!) On the flip side, I figured I had nothing to lose and I know the POWER of God's Word. When I opened my Bible this morning (I'm reading through 2 Timothy) the first line I read was "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word;" So yes! A SIGN! I would use the scripture in my advocacy and there would be mercy and/or grace all around!
I arrived at the courthouse early, met w/ the kid's lawyer to review the case, and then waited some more. They brought the kid out and the lawyer said I wanted to speak on his behalf. So I got up and began...
The judge looked at papers, wrote things down, fussed with this and that, and made very little eye contact with me or made any indication that he was listening to anything I was saying. So I started to take some pauses, which caused him to look at me. I got to the line, "While I agree that there need to be consequences for his actions, I also believe, as scripture tells us, that 'Mercy triumphs over judgement'...and in that spirit, Your Honor, I would ask that the court consider imposing a sentence that would allow ___ to be released before his 22nd birthday so that he can return to our program and utilize the services we offer in order to get his life back on track". He heard it. He didn't flinch, smile, or move a muscle, but he heard it. And so did the kid I was advocating for.
The prosecutor stood up and gave her shpeel...then the lawyer...and I kept holding my breath. Then came a bunch of Law and Order things I didn't understand (mitigating circumstances, etc) and when all was said and done, he got 1/2 a year taken off the plea agreement. 182 days earlier to be released...after 7 years...
I wasn't sure how to feel. Granted, the crime itself carried a sentence of "X" amount of years, they pled it down to 8 years, and then the judge took 1/2 a year off. The kid stood there listening, I hung my head a bit...
A few weeks earlier when I had visited him in jail I had the "Justice/mercy/grace" talk with him and gave my speeding illustration. I had said, in preparation for the sentencing, that he had already reached the "mercy" stage (the plea offered him less than he deserved) so we would aim for grace (even MORE time off).
So was 1/2 a year off a mercy deal grace? Or extra mercy? I left feeling like I'd failed in some way, that the use of Scripture (that is sharper than any 2 edged sword!) didn't do a thing...But I know that God is bigger than that. And I trust that everyone who was in that courtroom heard that scripture reference and was impacted, even for a second or two. And that the kid, who had no other representation (no family, no friends) aside from me, his lawyer, and my co-worker, felt that we were trying our hardest to advocate for him. And that the judge, as tough as he is said to be, heard that reference and gave even a slight pause in his mind, even,"Hmmm...I never heard THAT before".
Who knows what God has in store for this young person over the next 7+ years...maybe it will be a changing point, maybe not. And as sad as I am that he didn't get more "mercy" or "grace", I know that I know that I know that I know I was at least faithful in mentioning James 2:13 in the advocacy speech...and would do it again in a heartbeat. The Word of God IS powerful and "does not return void"...so my position now is to just trust the outcome of those words, whatever that may be and whether I know it or not. That's not for me to decide.
And in that light (and insight) I consider today a day of grace...