He had great intentions, was trying to help someone, was trying to do good...trying to do what HE thought was right...but he turned left instead of right and disobeyed a "traffic official".
My husband...Seriously? Transparent-Tom? The nicest guy in the world-Tom? Would give the shirt off his back-Tom? Would never hurt a fly-Tom? THAT guy?
Unfortunately, YES! So...WHAT HAPPENED??
This could get long, but hang on because the really GOOD part comes at the end...
In a nutshell, Tom took 3 of his co-workers to a Titans football game. He got 4 free tickets earlier in the day from his boss and called me first to ask if I wanted to go. I declined and encouraged him to take his co-workers (bad move on my part!). They were all excited and agreed to go...a great team building opportunity! One of his co-workers was on crutches, so Tom called the stadium ahead of time to find out where the handicap drop off was, to make it easier on him.
Tom dropped them off at the designated spot, and after finding a remote place to park, he joined them and they all enjoyed the game together. About midway through the third quarter, they decided to leave early, to avoid the crowds. As they were leaving, Tom stopped a stadium official to find out the best place to pick up his friend on crutches.
This guy asked where he had parked, then explicitly told him what to do: Pull up to that intersection, turn LEFT, and then pick up his friends under the Letter "K".
So, that's exactly what he did...Except when he got to the intersection, the traffic officials were directing ALL traffic to turn RIGHT, which would take him directly onto the interstate! He inched up to the intersection, turned his left blinker on, rolled down his window, and tried to get their attention, to explain why he needed to turn left.
Here's a little side note: These traffic officials did not look like policemen...they were wearing khaki pants and reflective vests...there was nothing on them that indicated that they were POLICEMEN. For all Tom knew, they worked for the stadium.
But these officials (there were 2 of them)...they wouldn't listen! They were busy doing their job, directing traffic and trying to keep order at a busy intersection, waving their flashlights, and yelling, "Turn RIGHT!!"
When there was a break in the pedestrian traffic, Tom continued with his window rolled down, and still trying to explain, he inched his way further into the intersection and finally turned left. As he did, one of them ran up and slammed both hands against the side of our mini van as Tom made that left turn...yelling like a crazy man, "Turn RIGHT!!"
Within seconds of turning left, Tom was surrounded by sirens and flashing lights. One of the police officers grabbed the keys out of his hands, ordered him out of the van, and yelled at him, "Have you been drinking?" Of course, he passed the sobriety test and for the next 2 hours, the officers argued amongst themselves about what to do next and what to charge him with.
Bottom line, he was arrested!! My husband...Tom Clark was arrested and charged with wreckless driving (a felony) and failure to comply with an officer of the law (a misdemeanor). An officer of the law?? He sure didn't look like one!
Meanwhile, I'm sitting at home, oblivious...it's getting late, so I text him..."What's your ETA, honey?"
This is what I got back...
My first reaction was to be MAD..."What were you thinking?? Why didn't you do what you were told to do? I don't care what your reasons were...you should have obeyed the cops!"
Our whole future flashed before my eyes...Tom with a record...he'll lose his job...no one will hire someone with a felony...this could bankrupt us...oh, and...what will people think??
My mind immediately went to the worst case scenario and I was gripped with fear and anxiety, but mostly I was really angry! It actually took me about 24 hours to get over being angry and to begin to feel some sort of compassion for him...to tune into his feelings of shock and regret, as the reality of his charges sunk in.
Fortunately, that night, he was not hauled off to jail. Three hours later, he was allowed to leave, but was given a ticket outlining the charges and a court date set for late September.
The next week, we hired a lawyer, who represented him at his first court appearance. We had enlisted people all over the world to pray for this court date and were confident that the D.A. would see how ridiculous this was and would dismiss the charges.
Well, it didn't go our way...The D.A. looked at the police report and compared it to Tom's story and said they didn't match up, so he set another court date to bring in the witnesses, the two officers that were at the scene of the crime. That date was set for the day before Thanksgiving, November 23rd.
Needless to say, we were shocked! Are you kidding?? Our judicial system is so messed up...all this time and money being spent on this ridiculous case, while the courtroom is full of drug addicts, sexual offenders, thieves, and prostitutes?
On a more humorous note, Tom had to go early that day to the court, stood in line with all of the above, to get finger printed and have his mug shot taken...front and side views...the whole nine yards, just like on TV. Got the picture?! He was so out of place, dressed in his suit and tie, that these other offenders would come up to him and ask if he had a card, thinking he was a public defender! He didn't say it, but he thought it, "No, I'm an offender just like you!" It was surreal.
So, Wednesday, November 23rd came, court appearance number two...Again, we had people all over the world praying and we were confident that this case would be dismissed. The lawyer asked Tom to sit outside the courtroom, so that he could address the D.A. and hopefully, the 2 officers that were present.
After a few minutes, he came out, pale as a ghost and said, "Tom, I don't know how to tell you this...I am shocked...the D.A. is recommending a sentence of 10 days in jail and a 6 month suspended sentence!"
He went on to say, "This is a very hostile environment, the officers are demanding and mad, and the D.A. is going in their favor. I recommend you don't take the sentence and we will remand this case to the Grand Jury."
Tom, of course, was in shock, and reminded the lawyer that he is a Canadian citizen, here in the U.S. on a Green Card. A jail sentence could trigger a Homeland Security investigation and possible deportation! "That settles it, then...we will remand it to the Grand Jury."
He also said that he would like to refer Tom's case to a different lawyer, someone with more influence and who was more connected in the Nashville court system.
So, we hired another lawyer, one of the top names in Nashville, highly recommended by several people we knew...$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!
We met with him and were given two possible scenarios...
Best case scenario: Using his connections, he would be able to pull Tom's case out of the queue and negotiate with a favorable DA.
Worst case scenario: It would go to the Grand Jury and then go to trial...could cost upwards of $100,000 or more if it went that far.
He didn't make any promises and was careful not to give us any false hope.
We were shaking in our boots...
His retainer was $10,000...so we took out a loan and wrote a check. It was 3 weeks before Christmas...Joy, Joy!
We waited....and waited...and we learned very early on, not to call him...let him call us. Every phone call and every email was at least $125, whether it took 5 or 15 minutes...his rate was $600/hour!
CHRISTMAS came and went, and we marched into 2013 with this thing LOOMING over us.
It was in January, in the midst of all this and several other hard things, that God gave me the word: G.O.O.D. The challenge every minute of every day was to take every thought captive, to not be overcome by fear and anxiety, and to focus on the simple yet profound truth: God is GOOD.
I would declare it in the car, I would scream it in the shower, I would mutter it under my breath at work, I would remind him, "God, you are GOOD...you are OVER all these things. Because I know that you are OVER them, I trust it's ALL GOOD, even though it's HARD and it's SCARY! I'm not sure how all this is going to turn out, but I trust you. You are G.O.O.D...You are God Over Our Defense, God Over Our D.A., God Over Our Disobedience, God Over Our Deviations, God Over Our Drama, God Over Our Developing character...Your name is GOOD...and you are the Great I AM!"
I would "hear" him say back, "I AM over all of it...trust me, stay close, sit with me, be still and KNOW that I AM GOD."
That truth began to change my perception of my reality even though my reality didn't change.
Our circumstances, consequences, chaos and drama were all still very present and REAL, but they didn't CONTROL me. The undeniable truth that God is GOOD, began to control me.
I was no longer fearful, but expectant! Instead of anxiety, I was filled with anticipation about what God was going to do...
You see, when I really believe that God is GOOD, that he is above and OVER everything that I am going through...somehow, I am able to rise ABOVE the mess, even though I'm still IN it!
It's not just empty words or spiritual jargon...it's REAL!
It's almost like an "out of body" experience...I can see it all happening, and know I should be anxious, that I should be going ballistic, but I am at peace! It really IS "out of body" because it is a spiritual reality, not a physical one.
Ephesians 1:20 says..."God seated Jesus at his right hand in the heavenly realm, FAR ABOVE all rule and authority, power and dominion...".
But that's not all! Read on...
"Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions---it is by grace we have been saved. AND God raised us up with Christ and seated us WITH him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. (Eph 2:4-6)
If God is OVER it all and his position is ABOVE it all and we are seated right next to Him, shouldn't that change our perspective...how we think...how we react...how we walk and how we talk?
If our Father is OVER it all, and we are seated right next to Him, we are SAFE! No matter what is going on below...No matter what is falling apart around us...If our Father, who is GOOD and PERFECT in all His ways, is OVER it, we can sit beside Him and be still.
We have a choice: Do we sit with him in the heavenly realms, far above all rule, authority, power and dominion? Do we partner with the ONE who is OVER it all? Do we choose to partake of HIS divine nature? Do we allow him to teach us, guide us, and coach us in this game of life?
Or, do we choose to abandon that post and sit "below", in the mire and muck of our present reality, becoming ensnared and entangled by fear, anxiety, control, despair, pride, selfish ambition,,,?
Our strongest position of power is when we are seated WITH Him in the heavenly realms...there is GREAT POWER from this perspective!!
SO WHAT DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH TOM BECOMING AN AMERICAN CITIZEN?
Well, let me tell you what the MOST HIGH GOD did for us!! Let me tell you of his GOODNESS, of his MERCY, and of his FAITHFULNESS!!
During the process of working out a deal with a favorable D.A., our lawyer thought it would be wise to consult with an Immigration lawyer, to make sure that the deal he was working on wouldn't jeopardize Tom's status as a Resident Alien. He set up an appointment for them to meet with this lawyer, thankfully, on his dime.
During the course of the conversation, she asked Tom why he hadn't become an American citizen. He gave her lots of good reasons, mainly that he didn't want to give up his Canadian citizenship. She dispelled that myth, explaining that the laws had changed and he wouldn't have to do that; he could be both...a Canadian in Canada and an American in the U.S.
But then came the question that changed everything, "Tom, do you and your wife ever plan to live in Canada or retire in Canada?"
His response: "Maybe...we haven't planned that far ahead, but it's a possibility."
Her response: "Well, here's the deal...If you retire in Canada and are not an American citizen, you will forfeit all the money that you have paid into Social Security over the past 30+ years...you will not be able to collect that money as a Canadian citizen living in Canada, if you are not an American."
WOW!!! Seriously? How would we have ever known that? Can you imagine, being 70 years old and deciding to move to Canada to live out our days, only to find out that we didn't have access to that chunk of our retirement, money we were counting on?
Needless to say, Tom began the process that day...it was a no-brainer!
Several days later, we were on our way to the beach for a little 4 day getaway with our best friends and Tom got a call from our lawyer...
They had worked out a deal...To DROP the "wreckless driving" charge (a felony), and to KEEP the "failure to comply with an officer of the law" charge (a misdemeanor C, similar to a speeding ticket), in addition to a $50 fine, plus court costs. We were assured, this was a GOOD deal.
He went to court on February 21st, for the third time, stood before the judge and agreed to the plea bargain and walked out a FREE man!
On October 24, 2013, Tom went to court for the fourth time in one year, this time, to be sworn in as an American citizen. He took the Oath of Citizenship and said the Pledge of Allegiance for the very first time. He was one of 56 people from 33 different countries who were sworn in that day. It was a witnessed by family and friends, and was celebrated by many others throughout the day.
But THAT celebration PALED in comparison to our celebration of God's GOODNESS...His Faithfulness, His attention to Details, His Mercy...His very real and tangible presence during one of the most difficult, yet most glorious years of our married life!
Can God Right a Wrong? A-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y!
Can He redeem mistakes and wrong turns, no matter how costly? A-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y!
This is the TRUTH: Mistakes and wrong turns have consequences, some more costly than others...but they don't define us and they don't determine our future.
God does. Period!
Sometimes we fail to see the GOOD in our mess because we haven't included God in the equation. We've abandoned our rightful position in the heavenly realms and lost all perspective.
This is a TRUE equation: God Over Our Disobedience = GOOD
Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have OVERCOME the world! I am telling you this, so that IN ME you may have peace." (John 16:33)
He invites us to come and sit with Him where He sits, ABOVE the mess, where He is OVER the mess...to allow His presence, His perspective, and His truth to shape and change our perspective of our present reality, to partake in his divine nature, to have peace and to soar above our circumstances.
"Taste and see that the Lord is GOOD! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack NOTHING! The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no GOOD thing!" (Ps 34: 8-10)
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." (Ps. 91:1)
Excellent testimony of the Sovereignty and goodness of the Lord. He surely sits enthroned above the heavens doing whatever is good in His sight. Amen, amen, amen!
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