Have you stopped to think about how a split second decision can affect the lives of dozens, hundreds, even millions of people? Think about those moments during 9/11 where the hijackers decided that it was time to take control of the plane. Think about the moment a drunk driver turns the key to later take an innocent life. Think about the moment that a criminal decides to pull the trigger and fire a shot at a police officer doing his job.
Our town had one of those world-changing moments this week, as one of our town police officers was shot and killed and another wounded. In a split second, not only were the lives of his family and friends changed forever, but our quiet little town lost its innocence. A little girl, days ago being raised by her single father, is now with grandparents and other family members, telling people how her daddy is with Jesus, but she wants to see him now. Parents must live the rest of their lives with only memories of their son. Friends, family, and simple acquaintances now with a hole in their lives that may never be filled. So many affected by the millisecond it took to squeeze the trigger of a gun.
In just a few hours, the body of Chad Spicer will be laid to rest. After the service, he will be taken on a last ride through the town he grew up in, the town he protected…the town he gave his life for. The town that will never be the same, because of the split second decision of the man who chose to pull that trigger and rob a little girl of the father who loved her. People will line the streets, saying a last goodbye to a fallen friend, with the familiarity that you can only have in a town of 5,000 people.
Most of us will never be faced with the same choice as the man who is now sitting behind bars, charged with capital murder, but we still need to think about every choice we make and how our decisions will change the lives of others.
