MEDITATIONS FOR COPS: Reflective Thoughts for Those in Law Enforcement

By Arnold Rubey

Meditations for Cops are contemplations that focus on the world of law enforcement. That world is unique; distinctly beyond the ordinary; and one vocational world that few complete totally fulfilled and without some regrets. Cops see much, experience much, and tend to carry too much baggage over the course of their careers. In a sense, they have no choice. Their world is one with many indelible images and memories. As a result, they too need nurturing, even when they don't think so, and they can always benefit from viable, supportive voices that infuse positive steerage in matters secular and sacred. These reflections address both for the specialized world of law enforcement. These thoughts speak to an officer's personal life, to one's emotional and spiritual mind-set, to issues and colleagues, to sensitive matters, to integrity, to how one copes with hard experiences, to how God fits the big picture, and to many more perspectives. Some hit rather hard, chip away at ego, ask for transparency and honesty, and some speak frankly about enhanced risks; still others call for recognition of God, His standards, and His strength in the fulfillment of this calling. Most of all, these meditations seek to bring out the highest and best in those who don the uniform, who wear the badge, and who bravely and faithfully serve as cops. To those of us who know, you who carry out your calling in this way are highly respected and rightfully honored.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9781646700547

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A Foreglimpse of Next Year

Foreglimpse is not in the dictionary. I made it up. So what does it mean? First, fore describes something in front of or when dealing with time, something beforehand. Glimpse expresses a brief glance at something without many details. Putting the two together, foreglimpse describes an abbreviated view of something ahead of time.

My intention is to provide a brief on the upcoming year before it gets underway. Of course, I’m doing this without knowing how it will turn out. At this moment, the entire year ahead is but a clean sheet of paper waiting to be written on. Only as the calendar unfolds day after day will any of us know the actualities of the year. In a nutshell, I envision the following in the year ahead:

Edginess. Politicians and the nation will undoubtedly function next year (as they and it did last year) with an alarming lack of unity, direction, or accomplishment. In other words, our roller-coaster economy, health-insurance worries, growing costs of goods and services, and numerous other issues will only showcase the insecurities the nation already has. Days of calm assurance and confidence are conspicuously absent. Pleasantness seems distant, and edginess uncomfortably close. Each new day produces more burdens, more heartaches, and increased difficulties. The good life is as elusive as ever and difficult to achieve.

Sadness. There is an overarching pale of gloominess. There are many causes such as personal struggles, illness and afflictions in family and among friends, financial shortfalls that force sacrifices and doing without, sorrows brought on by deaths in family or tragedies within the nation, and numerous other contributing factors. Hard things produce sadness and cynicism. When such things become the national mood, the grayness seems deeper.

Denial. Many of us have our heads in the sand when contemplating life’s realities. For example, we excuse too much in our personal lives and in our culture—our sin natures, our love of gratification, our excesses, and our shortcomings. Next year will perpetuate our trend of ignoring or brushing off serious issues that are slowly sinking our national boat. Instead, we’re living for the moment and pursuing personal gratification despite the consequences of such things. We’ve significantly bagged God, and the cost for such can be extracted in numerous ways. For example, I don’t discount that violent storms in our country and across the globe with huge loss of life and enormous property damage may well be among God’s ways of reacting to our defections. The massive shootings and assaults are part of the cost of paying the piper for our dismissal of ethics, morals, societal standards, and of God Himself. Read Isaiah in the Old Testament to see what God said and did 2,500 years ago to people and nations who behaved as we are today! It was brutal!

So is there anything to be cheerful about? Is everything gloom and doom? Not quite. The word hope still exists. We have hope if we look in the right places. I find joy, stability, and hope not in my surroundings or in dependence on what goes on in the world-far from it-but in God Himself. He continues as the steady, dependable, divine factor as always, which is comforting in times of struggle. When hard and hurtful things in life show up (and they do), God’s presence and comforts help carry the day. Do these things hurt? Of course! But someone bigger than we are makes the difference. That someone is God. He alone is the giver of much-needed inner peace.

In conclusion, while I see next year another difficult one, I also see God the same as always. In Him, we must put our trust! We need all we can get outside ourselves! After expressing all this, I pray we will have a blessed year ahead, even with its bumps and bruises!

A Law Enforcement Anchor

Daily life always consists of the known and the unknown, the predictable and the unpredictable, schedules and lack of schedules, and things pleasant and some not so pleasant. In short, we just cannot and do not have every moment and circumstance under personal control. We are at the mercy of others and other life factors. This reminds me of Proverbs 27:1: Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

While the above aspects of life are true for everyone, common life for LE families contains even more uniqueness. By this, I mean that LE life (even when off duty) is not conducted in quite the same way that most other jobs and vocations are carried out. Periodic shift changes, spontaneous overtime, court appearances, and more contribute to unpredictable patterns of daily living. Personal plans can often be put on hold or even cancelled because of these factors. In short, the LE family has numerous adjustments and concessions to make.

There is also another seldom talked-about distinctive in LE life. It is understandably off-limits to comfortably discuss. I hesitate to raise the matter though our family has directly tasted the bitterness of this cup. However, I believe it important for both an officer and for those he or she loves within the family to have some honest awareness. That element is the risk factor. By this, I mean that LE by its very nature contains a higher risk of something going south than in most other vocations. This negative aspect cannot be dwelt upon too much, or it may lead to insecurity and paranoia, but the other side of the coin is that most officers brush this off for their own emotional protection and to avoid fostering fear within the family. Still, like it or not, the risk factors in LE are real ones.

That said, I firmly believe the most helpful step for coping with such realities is to drop an anchor in the harbor of preparedness. What if…? I am aware that what ifs can make a person a prisoner of worry and apprehension without any of it coming to pass. All of us have enough anxieties already without inviting more. But let’s get brutally honest about this—life is filled with things beyond our control every day that we live, and though we strive to avoid all the negatives and hard things we can, we still deal with some. This means then that we better have something to hold onto that has substance spiritually and emotionally.

The anchor to which I refer is spiritual hope. When one looks around his world, there isn’t much to cling to when the darkness of sorrow and loss arrives. Hurts, brokenness, and disappointments cannot be healed with booze and fabricated pleasure. Disease and affliction require one to trust God to get through. All these things need that which is firm, solid, and sure. To me, that is God and God alone. I cannot name another entity that can do what God can do.

Do you have that kind of anchor in your life and home? If not, now is the time to pause, take that introspective look at what is missing, and then do something about what is needed. Put it in place, drop your anchor of hope in the harbor so that you can secure your life and face whatever is ahead. Don’t be afraid of God, for He is the anchor of the soul—your soul. He will be there when everything else has faded and failed.

A Thanksgiving Perspective

Thanksgiving comes around once a year as we well know. It always falls on a Thursday in late November. Traditionally, most of us enjoy turkey dinners with all the trimmings plus pumpkin pie. Television football games are often part of the day. Sometimes family gatherings are large and noisy; at other times, few are present. Generally, Thanksgiving Days can be remembered as pleasant with good and meaningful memories.

I have often wondered how overall thankful we really are when it comes down to it. With many of us, it takes a holiday to get us more focused and introspective. That is good, of course, but do we tend to live with grateful hearts otherwise?

Reflect on what our collective lives consist of these days; we routinely live with family disputes, domestic violence, physical pain and suffering, wars abroad that involve family members and friends, insecurities related to our work and our family relationships, discouragements, disappointments, death—and on the list could go. These kinds of issues render thankfulness difficult to experience. We might even develop resentment toward God for allowing these things in and around us, plus we might hold inner displeasure toward Him for perceived indifference regarding hard things that personally touch us. In short, it is difficult to be truly thankful.

Despite these factors, here’s a few basics for which we can and should be thankful:

The gift of life. It is truly a blessing to be alive and to experience each day as a new and fresh extension of God’s mercy to us. Be grateful for your life and for every day you’re given.

Family and friends. Not all have loving families around them or even close by, but those who do should cherish those relationships as much as possible. Special friends also add to the joys of life.

Our nation. America is not perfect certainly, but it is still a land of liberty, opportunity, and freedom from the rampant oppressions present in so many other nations. Be thankful for your country and for what you still enjoy in this bountiful place.

Opportunities to come and go. We can freely travel this region, this nation, and this globe. We can have many rich experiences as a result of the freedom of movement. This is more of a blessing than we know!

Health and success. If God has granted good health, enjoy it every day that you have it and gratefully bask in that goodness. If you’ve attained special honors or positions in life, hold them not with arrogance but with humble appreciation for them being given to you.

That God is there. What comfort it is to embrace in faith and have outside yourself, one who is in control of all that is. In a world of turmoil and brokenness, to know that a righteous Holy God is there and aware of all becomes reassuring. Mankind has marred His creation in so many ways, yet He will salvage it in the end!

There you have a small but significant list of things for which each of us can hopefully feel gratitude. I add one other practical note of thanksgiving: Gratefulness for law enforcement officers and agencies