Convict on the Loose

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Convict on the Loose!

by Monica Gambrell

My husband and I had decided very early on in our relationship (even before we were married) that if and when we had children, one of us would always be home with them. Many people told us that it wasn’t possible in this economy to make it work with only one income, but we were determined. And it did work. We had to make many choices that were unconventional, but we believed we were doing what was best for the family. Bear had always been the one to work while I stayed home with the children, but there came a time when our roles reversed. I got a customer service job with a utility company, which paid much more than he had ever made, so I went to work. The building I worked in was closed to the public. It was locked up tight and there were plenty of security measures in place.

Many days Bear would load the children into the vehicle and pick me up in the parking lot so we could all have lunch together. Bear was 6’6” tall, around 340 lbs., wore a size 15 shoe, and was a very imposing figure. He also kept a buzz haircut most of the time. On top of that, on one particular day, he showed up wearing an orange T-shirt as prisoners wear. Before I even made it outside, I heard the commotion and asked someone what was happening. Apparently, security had mistaken him for a convict on the loose and had called the police for backup to apprehend him! It wasn’t until I arrived on the scene that everyone involved was assured that he was indeed a harmless husband. I can’t tell you how opposite my reaction was to my husband’s. I couldn’t stop laughing.

Here’s my question: How many people do we instantly judge the way they judged him? We see a homeless person holding a sign asking for help and turn away. We see an impoverished mother with dirty and possibly unruly children and puff ourselves up in comparison. Shame on us. Surely all of us have been judged by others as well. Charlene, a woman more beautiful than any Hollywood actress, and a friend of mine, admitted to me one day that no one had ever told her, “I love you,” unless they wanted something in return. I was stupefied. We must ask God for His eyes so that we see people as He does.

I Samuel 16:7, “…God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Isaiah 11:3, “And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make decisions by what His ears hear.”

Luke 6:37, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Pardon, and you will be pardoned.”

Father God, I am guilty. Many of us are. May we sing the Brandon Heath song in our hearts. “Give me Your eyes so I can see—Everything that I keep missing. Give me Your love for humanity. Give me Your arms for the brokenhearted—The ones that are far beyond my reach. Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten—Give me Your eyes so I can see.” Oh, Lord, how we need this in our world! The only way this world can change is when believers start acting like believers. Mercy.