THE CREATION OF THE PEACE OFFICER When the Lord was creating peace officers, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."
And the Lord said, "Have you read the spec on this order? A peace officer has to able to run five miles through alleys in the dark, scale walls, enter homes the health inspector wouldn't touch, and not wrinkle his uniform."
"He has to be able to sit in an undercover car all day on a stakeout, cover a homicide scene that night, canvass the neighborhood for witnesses, and testify in court the next day." "He has to be in top physical condition at all times, running on black coffee and half eaten meals. And he has to have six pairs of hands."
The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands...no way."
"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, "its the three pairs of eyes an officer has to have."
"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.
The Lord nodded. One pair that sees through a bulge in a pocket before he asks, "May I see what's in there, sir?" (When he already knows and wishes he'd taken that accounting job.) "Another pair here in the side of his head for his partners' safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at a bleeding victim and say, 'You'll be all right ma'am, when he knows it isn't so."
"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow."
"I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound drunk into a patrol car without incident and feed a family of five on a civil service paycheck."
The angel circled the model of the peace officer very slowly, "Can it think?" she asked.
"You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the elements of a hundred crimes; recite Miranda warnings in its sleep; detain, investigate, search, and arrest a gang member on the street in less time than it takes five learned judges to debate the legality of the stop...and still it keeps its sense of humor.
This officer also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with crime scenes painted in hell, coax a confession from a child abuser, comfort a murder victim's family, and then read in the daily paper how law enforcement isn't sensitive to the rights of criminal suspects."
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the peace officer. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."
"That's not a leak," said the Lord, "it's a tear."
"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.
"I didn't put it there", said the Lord.
God's Word Provides Back-up
Peace officers typically enter law enforcement with high ideals. But after years of dealing with the transgressions and tragedies of the human condition, many become disillusioned with people and alienated from God. God's Word explains the corrupted human condition and equips us to handle it (Ephesians 6:10-18). Rather than losing faith, we need to focus on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:24-29, 1 Corinthians 3:11).
God's Word dispatches his back-up for our "Officer down!" spiritual situation. God's Word responds to our calls for help. God's Word issues Spirit-inspired standard operating procedures to guide and empower us. God's Word is his written report and sworn testimony detailing his protection of us against the perpetrator Satan. God's Word legislates his law and litigates our case. God's Word passes his sentence and proclaims our pardon. God's Word frees us from the handcuffs of sin and death with the key of Christ. God's Word is a weapon. It is a magnum equalizer which overcomes the evil one, the world, and our own weakness. God's Word trains us in his tactics. God's Word sheds his bright light on our late shifts of life. God's Word is our Declaration of Independence from the devil. It is our Christian Constitution, our Bill of Redeemed Rights, our oath of office, our statement of spiritual mission, and our badge of belonging to the ultimate Peace Officer - Jesus Christ.