Bill is an attorney. All attorneys lie. And Bill is a very good
attorney. Thus was the legacy of my friend Bill, who we met through off road
racing. He was known as a good racer, and a fierce competitor, only he was know
to stretch the truth. And make it sound so believable that no matter how
unbelievable it was, you wanted to believe it. But like I said, he was known to
stretch the truth. After one race where he had narrowly missed being hit by
another car, he was telling us how he missed being hit and taken out of the race
by 6 inches. All the while his co-driver was standing behind him, where Bill
didn’t see him, with his arms out stretched, more like 6 feet! But the legend
grew, if only in Bill’s mind, and we still loved him, despite his specious
claims, a word he taught me, specious meaning useless. But one bit of advice he
gave me has stuck with me, and I’ll pass it on to you. Although you may have a
big story to tell, the judge, or your audience only cares about a small part of
it. Which he demonstrated by his arms outstretched, 6 feet, and then put his
hands together in a small square. You may have a 6 foot story, but they only
care about 4 inches of it. Advice I was to use when I went to court...
I had been a salesman most of my life, and I wanted out. I was tired of
the lies, and misrepresentations that the trade was known for, I tried to tell
the truth, and was known for coming in with it, after someone else’s lie sounded
better. Amazing how a lie can sound more real than the truth, but it does
happen. So I finally decided one day, I was through, and I would quit. But
when checking into my 401k, found out if I quit I would lose the company’s
participation, taking about half of what was in there. But if I was fired, I
got it all, so I just quit going to work, didn’t answer or return any calls, and
finally they sent me a letter telling me I was no longer employed. So I called
my friend in HR, who sent me all the paperwork to get my money, but later got a
phone call. My boss, Les, told them I had quit, and so there was a problem,
they wouldn’t give me all my money. So I called Bill, who recommended small
claims court, tells you how big my life savings was, and I went to court. Using
his coaching, I copied the page, highlighting the line that stated if fired or
released, 100% would go to the ex-employee. Confident I went to court...
But so did Les, and although I never trusted him, was reminded why he could
have been an attorney, a very good one. After I presented my case, which took
only a few seconds, I handed the pro tem, not even a real judge, my copy, he
asked a few questions, and then it was Les’s turn. He told how I was a bad
employee, never returned phone calls, and had quit without telling him, how dare
I do that? As the pro tem listened, he then tried to hand him a bound 6 inch
thick book of papers. “What am I supposed to do with this?” he asked. Les’s
answer, “ I copied the entire employee handbook for you.” Pro tem, “but what
does this have to do with the case?” Les then mumbled something, while the pro
tem handed him back the 10 pound book. And then Les blurted out, “we had to
get him off the books somehow, so we let him go!” The pro tem smiled at me,
and told me he would consider the case, a judgment to come in the mail soon.
And I waited...and waited...I had seen Les go down in flames, I had won, he had
lost...and I was on to a new career. And then the judgment..
Although it was evident I had been fired, or let go just to get me off the
books, the pro tem thought I should only be awarded 2/3 of my money. I had won,
but I had lost, how did that happen? Are you innocent,or guilty? Or is not
guilty also mean not innocent? Maybe if I had had a real judge and not a
wannabe lawyer, with a borrowed gavel, I would have won it all. But I had won,
and it was more than Les had wanted to give...a victory. I had used Bill’s
advice, and told the small part, the only part the pro tem was interested in,
and had won. But along with experience I had learned about judgments, and how
when right, you can still be wrong. Just walking in court can make you feel
guilty, and placing your whole case before one person, or a jury can be risky.
I had risked, and won. But someday we will all stand before a final judge, and
all of our contacts, skills, advice, and knowledge will not mean a thing. We
will be judged on whether we are forgiven or not, on who we say Jesus is, and
how we trusted Him. And all our sin will, like His decision, be righteous. We
will get it. Those who deny Him will know His love and judgments are right.
And they will get what they wanted, no God in their lives...forever. But for
those who are saved, who trusted their lives in Jesus, we will also see true
justice. We will get what not what we deserve, but mercy, and grace. We will
enter into the Kingdom of heaven, to be with Jesus forever. Now that is the
kind of judge I will be glad to stand in front of, confident I know Jesus now,
and forever. He will be your counsel, wonderful counsel, and will present you
as without sin, no matter what you are accused of. Better than a pardon, there
will be no record because Jesus has taken your sin, and it is forever gone. The
only way to stand before the final judgment, with Jesus as your
representative.
I had only won 2/3rds, which meant they won 1/3. Still a victory, but in
Jesus I will be 100%, or 3/3rds a victor. The trinity, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit will all be on my side, and I will be on theirs. Now that is a true
victory. Bill was and still is a very good attorney. But in the court of life,
you need Jesus, the only one who can truly represent you. Whether you miss by 6
inches or 6 feet, you don’t want to miss heaven, a miss is still a miss. And
stick with the basics, trust Jesus. If you don’t get the small things, you will
never get the big ones. Only Jesus cares about all of you. Let the truth set
you free. And from a judge who is not a pro tem, but the real thing. Every
story sounds true until you have heard the other side’s story. Let Jesus be the
other side of your story, or better yet both sides.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com