thoughts on the news of the day: trials

hmmm.....

            Amanda Knox is all over the news today.  The Italian courts overthrew the murder verdict and she will go free.  She is traveling back to her home in Seattle and will begin the rest of her life.  Meanwhile, the Michael Jackson trial is in full swing with lawyers jockeying for position and judges making rulings in the murder case. 

            Why are we so fascinated with murder trials?  Remember the O.J. Simpson trial?  People were glued to their televisions as O.J. tried to put on the glove.  The Casey Anthony trial was all over the news this summer and then the trial of Amanda Knox.   Dr. Conrad Murray is now being tried in the death of Michael Jackson.  We all watch in anticipation of the outcome – you know we do.

            Is it the murder mystery entangled in each trial that ignites our imagination?  Do we evaluate the clues as if it were a CSI story?  Are we hoping to out smart the lawyers and the judges in our critique of the evidence? 

            Or maybe it is the desire for justice to be done.  Whether it is conviction or acquittal, we want justice to be served.  We want the bad guys to go to jail and the good guys to go free.  And do we wonder, what if I was in the same situation, how would I react?

            In all of the excitement and drama of the court room, I hope that someone out there is praying for the victim and their families.  Perhaps someone is praying for those accused and their lawyers.  Maybe the judges and juries get lifted up in prayer by someone.  Maybe that someone is you.

            hmmm…..