The Greatest Tragedy
of a
Law Enforcement Officers Life
Our officer could be John or Steve, Sue or Mary, but we’ll call him Mike. You know the guy, you’ve worked around him, sat beside him during many a briefing, shared a black and white with him, maybe even shared some laughs and a few drinks with him. You’ve called him a partner and maybe even a friend. Mike’s a good guy and a good cop.
Mike is a stand up guy, he takes care of business, he takes care of his partners and he takes care of his family. Mike has sacrificed a lot over the years for the job. Mike missed his wife’s first really big doctors appointment when she was expecting their first child. Mike missed his son’s first steps, and too many little league games to count. Important family and social events were missed because Mike was “making a difference”, he was “protecting and serving” the community, he was putting bad guys in jail.
If you take an honest look at Mike you will admit he is a good person; someone who has lived a good and moral life.
So what is the tragedy?
Last night Mike and his partner responded to a robbery in progress with shots fired at a local liquor store. Mike and his partner arrived in time to engage the suspects, who had already shot and killed a customer, and wounded the clerk. More shots were fired and the suspects were killed, however Mike was wounded. While enroute to the hospital, Mike died.
This is tragic, but it is not the greatest tragedy.
Mike, like so many other fine, dedicated police officers lived an exemplary life. He unselfishly served his community through countless hours of self-sacrifice. He was truthful and honest, giving and loyal, moral and upstanding, a man of good character. Mike was faithful to his wife and family; he gave money to charity, he even went to church almost every week. In fact, like over 14,000 officers since 1900, Mike gave the ultimate gift; he laid his life down for the community that he served.
The undeniable truth is this; by the worlds standards Mike was not just a good man, he was a great man. In your honest opinion you would agree that Mike is the kind of man that deserves to go to heaven.
Look around you at your brothers and sisters in uniform; there are great men and women everywhere. Dedicated, upstanding, moral, productive, contributing members of society. Law enforcement officers are making this world a better place to live each and every day.
Think about it, you’ve lived a pretty good life too. Maybe not as good as "Mike", but definitely better than the bad guys you protect society from each day. If you died today, have you thought about where you’d spend eternity, based on how you've lived your life?
So I ask you; what is the true tragedy of this whole story?
The truth is that where we spend eternity is not decided by the standards set by the world, nor by the works that we do while we are here. Living a good life, even a great life is not enough. Yes, even dying for your community is not enough to assure you a favorable spot in eternity. When Mike died that night he was a good man, but he did not have a personal relationship with God, through God’s Son, Jesus Christ. This meant that when Mike breathed his last breath he went into eternal (read forever) separation from God.
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." Mike, that good guy, that wonderful partner, your friend, went into eternity separated from God; Mike went into
hell. The saddest irony of all this is that because Mike did not have a personal relationship with God he went
into hell along with the murderous bad guys that he died with that night. As a law enforcement officer, I can think of nothing worse, I can think
of nothing as sad as this. Where will you spend eternity; in Heaven or hell? Mike lived a good life, but there is nothing that we can do to reach God’s standard, which is perfection. God
therefore gave us His greatest gift, His Son, Jesus Christ to be a go between, to bring us into fellowship with
God the Father. It is not just my desire to see police officers come to a saving knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ, but God
Himself desires a personal relationship with you! Jesus said in John 3:16 "For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but
have eternal life." It pains me to realize that so many officers dedicate so much of their lives to
helping the people of this world. Yet if these officers do not know the Lord, then in the end they too will perish,
just like those that they have battled against on behalf of society. It is not God's desire that anyone should
perish, for He says in 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not
slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for
all to come to repentance."
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
who gave Himself as a ransom for all. I
Timothy 2:5 Jesus said, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father,
but through Me. John 14:6 For by grace you have been saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is
the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. Ephesians 2:8,9 If you would like information on how to have a personal relationship with God,
through His Son, Jesus Christ,
please click here.
Finally, a question to Christian Police Officers… If your salvation is secure, do you sit silently while your partners perish?
This page is maintained by Devin Chase, please e-mail me your comments, suggestions, prayer requests or questions.
Page last updated 16 December 2001
A new millennium, yes. A new Jesus, no. For Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.