Probing Questions From Jury Duty

I reported for jury duty last Thursday. Armed with lunch and a book, I lined up with over eighty other patriotic citizens praying I wouldn't get called, unless it was for a one day trial.Interestingly, it was a case of domestic violence. Given my volunteer experience and recent blogs, I wondered how I'd react if called to be on the jury. I needn't have worried about it. The prosecuting attorney and the defense attorney took pains to weed out anyone who might be biased. Repeatedly we were asked, "Given your past exposure or personal experiences, could you be fair and unbiased towards the defendant?"A couple of women, clearly on edge, told of being victims of domestic abuse and that they couldn't be impartial. They were dismissed. The rest of us were asked the same questions. Could we be fair? Assume the defendent was innocent unless proven guilty? Listen to both sides before holding an opinion--even if the defendant didn't take the stand on his own behalf?The majority of the jury pool agreed that they would try and be fair and impartial. I don't know if they succeeded. I was dismissed along with many others. But I wonder, could I have laid aside my feelings and been even-handed, listening to both sides? I hope so. Could you?Being put in a position to judge another human being is pretty heavy duty. I'm so glad Paul writes, "It is the Lord who examines and judges me... He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of our hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God" (1 Cor. 4:4-5).