S. H is 5’7” and missing a finger. I’m not sure why, it’s just gone. It’s a pinky though. When he throws up a code 4 hand signal (I’m okay and no assistance is needed) he does it with a thumb and three middle digits. A week or so ago he was code 5 (surveillance) on some robbery suspects in East Dago. He needed to have them contacted so he called in Mid-City patrol cops. The cops attracted to work Mid-City are normally hard core, tough guys who like to get in the mix. You can tell how well a cop will do in his career by what division he wants to work after the academy. If a new officer chooses one of the hot commands he/she should be a good one. If he picks Del Mar, well, he may as well applied for the CHP.
Mid-City black and whites came streaming in the area hoping for a foot pursuit. They got their wish. It was immediate. H bailed out of the car to help the uniformed cops. A two officer car cut off a shaved head, tattooed ESD gangster and he switched direction. He ran right toward 4 finger H who was on a dead run and collision course with a man used to violent crime. Good cops watch the suspect’s hands. Eyes can’t kill you, other than a look that could kill, but a gun or knife in the hand can.
It seemed like slow motion to H. He saw the man flick/snap the blade into the fixed and locked position with the subtle twist of the wrist. It was Spider knife, the kind that cuts through metal. H knows knives can go through Kevlar vests, but as a UC detective he is not even wearing one. In super slow motion the man raises his arm, and with one fluid motion throws the knife like a Trevor Hoffman ace reliever for Padres. Hobbs sees the knife somersaulting through the air. The metal of the blade is glistening in the bright San Diego sun and it rapidly closes the distance. Hobbs knows if the knife strikes him in a vital spot it could be fatal. Adrenalin was pulsated through his veins, the kind of adrenalin that causes cops to have early heart attacks. The knife thrower made a judgment on H. He is not worth living.
As a cop I am a judgmental guy. No sense blaming it all on police work, just in general I make snap judgments on people by looking at them as I approach. I justify it because that’s what often keeps me safe. But the reality is I make judgments’ about people. The way they dress, look, feel, smell, speak, have their hair cut, their style and fashion all of it. I make an assumption on their quality as a person, their worth if you will. I decide if I like them or am going to choke them out in about 5 seconds flat. Once in a while someone will surprise me and I have to grudgingly change my mind. We put people into categories of comfort to me. That is why I judge them. It’s based on what makes us comfortable. We hang out with our own types. You can find us with people of the same political persuasion, dogma, race, denomination, culture, athleticism, interests, etc. It is something God is working on me about.
James talks about “wisdom.” (James 3: 13 ff) You will know you have it by how you live, “show it by a good life, by deeds done with humility that comes from wisdom.” The other kind of wisdom (not from God) is known by its traits also. “where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” Wisdom of God brings peace and peace brings righteousness. V17. So James goes on to say, what brings fights and quarrels among you? The desires within; you want something and don’t get it. In James 4:11 he gets to the heart of the matter. “Who are you to judge your neighbor?”
To sum up to me this means: Work to build the body of Christ not caring about who gets credit. You can tell those who lack Godly wisdom. They want something they can have; their ambition is about them not God; there is disorder as noted by strife; and when that is the case you will find “every evil practice.”
The knife thrown by the ambitious gangster was now at arms length. There was not time to duck, dodge or block. It was just going to impact Steve in the chest. The impact was violent and powerful. It felt like the knife penetrated the bone and sunk all the way to the heart. But it dropped to the ground. The weight of the knife’s butt made it over rotate and strike Hobbs butt plate first. It hurt but it would not cause substantial harm. A team of officers now pounced on the wannabe Padres Picture and planted him in the pavement. He was arrested for attempted homicide on a police officer. It was over. His judgment and underestimation of Hobbs’ resolve was evident.
We underestimate of the power of humble wisdom and also the destruction force behind wisdom based on selfish ambition is.
A
0 comments:
Post a Comment