As I write this column, I’m sitting in a coffee shop in Austin, Texas. The main reason I’ve come to Austin is to have a working vacation as I spend some time with my kids and grandkids.
My mind goes back to two years ago this month. I spent an eight-hour shift riding with a police officer while here in Austin, Texas. As a Columbus City Police chaplain, I wanted to get just a taste of what it’s like being a chaplain for a large department of 1,700 police officers who work in a city of nearly a million people.
I met the assigned officer at the station at about 6:30 a.m. on a Tuesday morning. I told him briefly that I was a city police chaplain back home. Then, we were off running full speed.
We started the day off with the officer preventing someone from attempting to kill themselves by threatening to jump off an overpass. He was successful as he worked with such care and precision. We then moved on to a car crash and patrolling in a red light district and drug-infested area for the remainder of the day.
Each time we stopped to take care of one incident, three more took its place on the officer’s computer screen. We did, however, manage to get a morning coffee from his favorite coffee shop with no time to waste. Then, back to work on the incident list.
At lunch time, we stopped for just a few minutes. The officer mentioned that, often times, he doesn’t get to take a lunch break so he always brings snack food, drinks and water with him. Today, since I am with him, we will stop.
In between incidents, as the officer told me about his family, ups and downs in his life, joys and sorrows he’s experienced and some of his future plans, I listened.
By the end of the shift, at around 2:30 p.m., we had been on numerous, serious and wide ranging calls one right after another, all day long. To me, it felt like we had spent a full 24 hours together instead of the actual eight-hour span.
I observed many things about the policeman during our time together. He was a family man and had been professional, caring and skilled as he gave his best to serve the people of Austin.
After parting ways with him, I had a renewed sense of appreciation for those men and women who are employed in public safety positions. Whether they serve in Austin, Texas or the city of Columbus, day after day, these officers give their best and put their own lives on the line for the people they serve without being shown much appreciation in return.
Now, I know why God, through his Holy Spirit, has guided my thoughts as He has in the coffee shop today. I believe he wants me to remind you to thank and show appreciation to those in our city and county who remain vigilant and prepared to serve us every hour of the night and day, all the while, not knowing what the next call will require of them.
I am grateful to the God I love, serve and follow to get to be a police chaplain and for the honor and privilege of getting to know and spend a little bit of time with true servants of the people.
Will you, along with me, take time today to let a police officer know how grateful you are that he or she is there for them? I know they will be encouraged by your kind and thoughtful words of appreciation.
Romans 13:1-7 reads in part, “… This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”
Nita Evans of Columbus is owner of Confidential Christian Counseling, focusing her work especially with ministry leaders and their families. She also is a Columbus Police Department chaplain and a national retreat and conference speaker. She can be reached at 812-614-7838 or by visiting specialspeaker.com.
