justice...

Today I was walking through town and I saw a group of teenagers getting told off by a police officer and as he walked off one of them threw a bottle at his back. Now it wasn't a glass bottle it was a half full bottle of coke. But as it hit his back I saw 2 things go through the officers eyes... 1 being that he wanted to turn around and sort out which ever one threw the bottle and secondly that there was no respect and he had just had all of his taken away from him in a throw of a bottle.

I don't understand rules for police officers but I'm sure he could of done something about it, but very controlled the police officer walked off facing the ground as if he had been told off. A grown man walking away from 5 teenagers who should be getting told off or discipline for those type of actions. As he walked he went straight past me muttering to himself, I felt like something had to happen because if not justice wouldn't of been served for something that was destructive to both the officers future and the teenagers.

The way I see it is that the officer then could of went on a power trip and go over the top on the next group of teenagers that he see's. As for the teenagers if they think they can get away with that right in front of a person of the authority then they will believe they are untouchable BOTH are unacceptable. So to sort it I said to the police officer which one of the boys it was who threw the bottle. He then proceeded to do his duty and took the boy away (probably just to phone his parents or something). This left me with the boys who then worked out it was me who had told the police officer who threw the bottle.

They then proceeded to walk over to me shouting abuse and being quite violent. All of a sudden I was surrounded by these boys and I felt a shove in the back, the word "pussy" was used quite a lot as they tried to provoke me to fight them. I refused and said I had done what was right, that they needed to leave me alone otherwise they will be joining their friend. This was when I felt a hand try to grab my wallet which was in my side pocket (I have it tied so it can't go missing) and as I turned to see who was trying to grab it I recognized one of the boys from one of the youth groups I used to work at.

I shouted his name and he shot back as if he had been poked with a very sharp stick, I said his name and questioned his actions. His reactions where very harsh... He needed my wallet to get money, money to get cigarettes and alcohol for him and the boys. I said that I wasn't going to let him take anything of mine to use for any of those things and I challenged them to take it from me. The boy then recognized me and started to slowly retreat his hand, all of his friends slowly watching his actions and I asked "If you take my wallet, phone and money is it justified that I then go out and steal someone else's?"

He looked at the ground and mumbled "I dunno", then he slowly looked into my eyes and said "Jamie I'm really sorry, this won't happen again". At that point he reached out his hand and I thought "do not grab my wallet" as his hand came closer and closer... He shook my hand.

Astonished I shook his hand back and said "Go home and be teenagers, you don't need to be drinking and smoking". His reaction was just "its not that simple". He then turned and walked away.

Now I don't know his friends names but I know his. His face has been in my head and I have not been able to get that scenario out of my head.

"Its not that simple"

A 15 year old telling me that its not that simple to stop drinking and smoking, my heart wretched as the boys walked away. This isn't justice, this isn't what God wanted. He wanted love, peace, grace, respect, community and other all relationship with Him. How can we teach this? Why isn't this on show in our lives? Im not amazing, I don't have this nailed and I'm so far away from ever fulfilling this but still how can we?

How can we justify this life unless its with Him?