As an elementary school student, I looked up to the older students who served as “safety patrol.” There on the sidewalk of Shannondale Elementary Bryan and his brother T.J. directed students away from the danger of parents driving around the parking lot, while wearing an orange belt with a shoulder strap diagonally across their chest emblazoned with a silver badge. During the day patrol members wore their belts neatly rolled up, dangling from their waists. I was privileged to join the patrol later, and learned the proper way to roll up the belt so that the badge was protected in the roll. That badge meant a lot to me. Wearing a badge then led to Bryan and T.J. wearing real badges later, as long-serving members of the Knoxville Tennessee Police.

At Vanderbilt University, I needed a little spending money, and most of my friends were employed by the university security department. I joined up, and served about three years. Instead of an orange belt and strap, I was given a full uniform to wear. I proudly donned the grey pants, sky blue shirt with dark blue epaulets, and pinned on badge number 14 through the special grommets in the shirt. The uniform belt was broad, black, and capable of supporting a five-D-Cell flashlight, oak nightstick, and two large rings of keys for various campus buildings.

When I joined a large electronics retailer headquartered in Richmond, VA, I had to visit the county police headquarters to fill out some paperwork. There I saw a brochure about a volunteer program. I couldn’t believe that a real police department would have a unit of volunteers, and applied for membership that day. Soon enough a background check was initiated, and in time, a six-week training academy began. After the chief swore our class in, I was given a full uniform complement. The trousers and shirt were dark blue, woven of what felt like iron, and the shoulder patches announced that I was part of the county police. A matching ball cap detailed my role as motorist assistance. The black leather belt circled my waist, carrying a flashlight in a ring, a pouch for medical gloves, a stainless steel multi-tool, and the all-important police radio. Listening to the radio on duty, I heard dozens of calls for service for citizens in trouble, and for citizens who caused trouble.

Being associated with law enforcement, I often find myself watching TV programs that portray the realities of life on the road. Today a popular show is called “Live PD,” which illustrates what happens by recording multiple police departments hard at work and bouncing the viewers through all the exciting moments. Most often, I am left shaking my head as the “bad guys” are rounded up, time and time again. It seems that every car with a broken taillight that made an improper lane change could be the stop of an officer’s career.

In an episode from March 6, 2020 one such stop resulted in the arrest of three felons who had four handguns, drug smoking pipes, and a large quantity of poor quality methamphetamine. Obviously being a felon and incarcerated for some time did nothing to prevent future drug abuse and crime. Other segments highlighted mental instability, the abuse of women, vigilante justice, and ongoing drug abuse.

During the show, I found myself wanting to end all this crime by changing the way those arrested were processed and punished. As handcuffs are applied, it is obvious that people do not fear or respect authority. And, since most people on the show are repeat offenders, with outstanding warrants, it is also clear that incarceration does not change the individual. In my work with the county police, at road checks for driver sobriety, I see myself how many citizens are in some way misbehaving and a potential danger to the community.

How do we end substance abuse? How do we eliminate the danger from weapons used in crimes? How do we restore respect for marriage and all it means? How do we bring emotional stability to those who cry out in pain?

It may be best that we look at the particular crimes we see in each episode not as charges that would be filed against a statute, but as evidence that each individual is in need of God’s transforming power. God offers that to us, if we can accept His grace.

For people who abuse alcohol and drugs, we find in the Bible this admonition in Ephesians 5:18:

“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

For people who take the possessions of others, through force and intimidation, we see in the Bible these words in Leviticus 19:11:

“Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.”

For people who abuse the marriage relationship, we observe these principles in Proverbs 6:20-29:

“My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them always on your heart; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life, keeping you from your neighbor’s wife, from the smooth talk of a wayward woman. Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes. For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread, but another man’s wife preys on your very life. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.”

For people whose mind is emotionally troubled, we find common threads in Bible heroes like David, who wrote these intense words in Psalm 38:5-10:

“My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart. All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes.”

It seems clear that people who are able to draw close to God have a chance of living in hope. In this life, no one is without sin, yet those who trust in God find ways of restoration through His grace. Life remains challenging, at times searingly painful, yet in that pain those who trust in God are anchored by His love.

So while the police valiantly and courageously interact with people who need God’s love, can we serve alongside them, wearing a uniform and belt? In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, in verses 6:13-19, we read:

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Wearing the belt of truth, we can stand ready against the forces of evil, and like Paul, ask to be fearless:

“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

Only God’s gospel can break the power of the evil we see in our world. Let us be fearless as we share His good news with anyone in need.