Do your sins have mug shots?

A few weeks ago, a good friend and two others were nabbed together in a drug bust. My pal, D.G., is being held without bond.

News spread quickly in our small town. “Ship them away. Let them rot. Have you seen the mug shot?”

Looking at D.G.'s mug shot and reading the charges, I wondered how people would feel if my own picture appeared in the paper with a list of my own sins. Would they want to ship me away? Let me rot?

Let’s be blue-sky clear. I’m not soft on crime and I’m not debating the merits of today’s drug laws. But when the village whisperers say, “I always knew there was something about him,” I think they’re right. There always has been something about him.

Looking at D.G.'s mug shot and reading the charges, I wondered how people would feel if my own picture appeared in the paper with a list of my own sins. Would they want to ship me away? Let me rot?

How often I’ve caught the news of someone being arrested and charged, no matter the crime, and passed judgement from my invisible black robe. All it takes is a 30-second story to tell us all we need to know.

But while we pass judgement during the commercial break, here’s what we might forget. Guilty or not, D.G. is still a child of a living, loving God — a heavenly Father who, by the way, never stops parenting.

I first met my friend approximately two years ago when he and his wife were looking for a church. They joined ours and, almost immediately, my friend accepted an assignment to serve as the building coordinator. This meant he would schedule the chapel’s facilities and organize a calendar of church members to clean each week.

As I drove through town one scorching Saturday afternoon, I passed him walking toward the chapel and stopped to say hello. Without breaking stride he explained that no one had signed up to clean the chapel and he was off to do it alone.

“You’re a good man,” I yelled through the open window as I went my busy way and he went the Lord’s.

Over the next few months, even though his work made it difficult to attend church, we stayed close and chatted as often we could. When I couldn’t catch him at home, I often saw him on the street or at the store and I always appreciated how he interacted with my family. My boys were especially excited to see him. He never left without a strong fist bump and a bright smile that suggested even though he was talking to me, they were no less important.

“I like him,” they’d whisper as we walked away.

“Me, too,” I’d reply.

It’s been a few months since our last chance encounter and despite the news, nothing’s changed. He’s still a good man.

He’s also kind, genuine, funny and a hard worker.

And yes, he’s also a sinner, just like you and me.

Looking at his mug shot and reading the charges, I wondered how people would feel if my own picture appeared in the paper with a list of my own sins. Would they want to ship me away? Let me rot?

While my sins are not necessarily crimes, they are no less sins, aren’t they? Even though his sins are a different brand than mine, they still come from the same store.

I know the risk in writing such a column. I could be called too soft on crime, too tolerant, too blind and far too naive. Some might even accuse me of excusing my friend simply because we have personal history.

There’s no hidden message here and nothing buried between the digital lines. I’m not excusing anyone of anything. My friend, if guilty, needs to pay the price and let justice run its course. He needs to be just as accountable to the laws of the land as those with whom I haven’t shared a church pew.

The truth? I’m no different than D.G. Every day I ask God not to give up on me yet.

I make mistakes. I’m imperfect. And heaven knows I have a lot of work to do before I could ever be judged worthy to live with God again.

Thankfully, my friend and I both have time. For now, I’ll leave the judging to juries and the eternal judgements to the eternal judge.

May we remember that all of us are sinners, even without our pictures in the paper.