So, what I’d like to do over the next 6 days is share my story as I have previously shared it (I will be re-posting my House Arrest Series) as well as what I have learned over the past 2 years of being confined to the piece of land I call home.
With that said, let’s dive straight in then with the first installment of “House Arrest.”
House Arrest (1 of 4)
This week I thought I would answer some of the many questions I get in relation to my house arrest… Hopefully by the end of the week I would have answered some of the questions you may be wanting to ask me…
How I landed up being under house arrest
On the 19th of February 2006, I was involved in a car accident which resulted sadly (a couple of weeks later), in a death. Because I was the only driver still alive, I was charged and summonsed to appear in the local magistrates court. It was quite a nerve wrecking experience and I would suggest to all, if at all possible, stay away. The court room seems to be an area which just sucks all the living energy out of you in a matter of minutes. If you for any reason need to spend time in the court room, surround yourself with loved ones. They are and will be your backbone… After a year and half (more or less) of trying to defend myself and keep out of our national prison, the case was finally brought to a close. It was an emotional time for me as I stood before the magistrate and waited to hear her sentencing. It is absolutely terrifying knowing that the person in front of you has all the power in the world to end your life there and then. I can still remember the feeling of the sweat running down the back of my neck as I prayed “Lord, PLEASE! If there was ever a time I believed in you, it is now!!!”
Finally, after reading literally everything that was said throughout the case hearings (over the year and a half), she finally got to the words, “I therefore sentence you to…” Those five words determined the practical outcome of my life, whether I liked it or not. She ended off with, “24 months house arrest and no more than 18 hours community service each month for the duration of your sentence.” The beauty of the experience was how I learned what it means to truly know the peace of Christ. So often, like many others, I would blabber on and on about the peace of Christ and how I knew it and so on… The truth was, I had no idea what it really was until I really needed to know it. My first experience within the court room was one of absolute terror. It is only by the grace of God I didn’t pass out. Those around me referred to me as a ghost. Kinda scary if you think about it…
The morning before my second appearance, I decided to pray, even if it was just a 30 second prayer. I was going to ask God for help, and I was going to believe that he would and could help me. From that morning on, I was nervous in the court room, but no where near as nervous as my first appearance. The sense of peace I felt within my heart was unbelievable and pretty much impossible to describe in words. I learned, through receiving a life changing sentence, that God’s love is real. More real than you could possibly ever imagine.
Tomorrow I will explain what it means to be under house arrest whilst fulfilling a commitment of 432 hours of community service.
Have you ever experienced a similar event where the peace of God seemed so real?
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