Covered with Kindness and Grace

My last post expressed my thoughts and attitudes leading up to court hearing. That hearing has happened twice over now - it was adjourned the first time and rescheduled for yesterday. I found myself in the first hearing on my own - a little nervous but the Judge/ Member of the tribunal acknowledged my right to have defense present and was happy to set a new time and date. It also gave him time to do a bit of reading and to get his head around the case.

This last hearing I found myself accompanied by a Supreme Court Barrister - he is new to the bar I beleive, and was happy to do my Lawyer a favour, as she couldn't personally make the hearing. I think the applicant (other lady) in the process was a little intimidated by the whole idea. I was too at first, but once I met him, he was delightful to talk with. I was entertained by the whole situation (maybe that's just my sense of humour) and I was in a good, level-headed place when the hearing began. I was covered, which was so important to me as in the very first hearing last year - I found myslef in the middle of it, with no written defense submitted and no legal representation. I freaked a bit afterwards and changed my lawyer. There was too much at stake for me. I also prayed - more than I have probable ever prayed before - daily for 3 weeks, until I found my peace again.

Yesterday the Member presiding over the hearing acknowledged the applicant's feeling of intimidation and reassured her that he would personally conduct proceedings / questioning and that she had nothing to worry about. He made one or two little jokes (one over being called 'Your Honour' by my Barrister), he was gentle and quietly spoken in the process, he explained where his questioning was leading and he stated what he was trying to determine in regards to the law. My Barrister didn't get much of a say in things. She was covered.

Thankfully for me, the hearing went well and there was no breach found in my actions / responsibility as Landlord. It was all over in a little over an hour. I was impressed by the Member's empathy towards the applicant - he said he was sorry for her loss of personal belongings as she had disposed of her things on the basis of verbal advice from a player in the insurance process (the insurance was denied based on cause).

My challenge through it all was around being triggered by the other party's tendency to exaggerate (or conveniently not remember) details around what had taken place. She did, unsurprisingly, make things out to be other that what they were - and so we spent 5 minutes in the hearing deliberating about the date she moved out (amongst other things). My temptation in it all was to complain about her lack of ability to tell the truth despite being sworn in. I just don't get how people do that. I think what impressed me though, was that she was listened to and not overly challenged in her statements. Her truth might be a little skewed but maybe that is now what she actually believes?? It made no difference to outcome anyway. I did get to have my say. I am sure the member had seen it all before. She was covered by kindness.

That is what struck me through the whole thing - Kindness, gentleness, patience and general goodness. They sound like fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)!! I have no clue in regards to the religious beliefs of the parties present, but I was a little inspired, and very grateful. Sometimes as Christians, I think we like to beleived these things are ours alone. They aren't always.

Mark 9: 38-41

“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.  Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

Ruth 3: 7-13, 15

When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile.Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down.  In the middle of the night something startled the man; he turned—and there was a woman lying at his feet!

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.”

“The Lord bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.  And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character.  Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I.  Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning.”

He also said, “Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and placed the bundle on her.

I love this story of Ruth in the bible - a lady who had lost her husband, had no children and found herself in a land that was not her own. She was powerless and vulnerable, but was of good character, and loyal to her mother - in - law, Naomi. Naomi instructed her on the Israelite customs and laws of the time, so that she could find herself covered, provided for and honoured. She did go on in the story to marry Boaz - who looked after her and Naomi. She found a home and a family and went on to be one in the family line of Jesus.

Psalm 91:1-4, 14-16

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

God has such a heart of compassion and kindness towards us. And so we should also carry the same attitude towards others. I have definitely been challenged this week. I think my Supreme Court Barrister enjoyed his little day out in a housing tribunal, and one of his parting comments to me was around his prepared defense statement being of help (with lots of legal jargon). I agreed with him at the time, but today was putting away paperwork - hopefully for good, and found the Member's writing on my usual lawyer's prepared defense statement - he had underlined the good bits and ticked of other statements during the hearing - and handed it to me at the end. There was grace and covering for the young Barrister as well. It is now all over. :)

Post Script:

It is now around 5 weeks since the hearing and it still gets replayed in my mind in the middle of the night at times... The whole thing I guess was somewhat stressful and traumatic and there was a lot at stake financially for me - despite the fact I did nothing wrong. And so the trauma of it lives on in the night. I asked Jesus where He was in that hearing and I had the sense he was standing just behing the judge / member on his right hand side. Now the right hand arm represents power, strength, justice and holiness. How good is that! Just maybe Jesus had me covered too!! The other verse that came to mind was:

Isaiah 43: 1-3 and 16-21

But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

This is what the Lord says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

I am covered.