Leviticus 19:13
“Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.”
Leviticus 19:15
“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.”
In the last two weeks I have been asked, what does Justice look like when it comes to Joshua’s murder? Because Justice can mean many things to different people. When a perpetrator is caught for the crime that they have committed, society calls that justice and closure, but for me and where I am in this season of my life, I would just call it accountability. And I say this because God is the only one that can render justice, but I also believe that even if Josh’s killers were caught and sentenced to the rest of their life in jail, it wouldn’t bring closure to me, because closure is a chapter or a book being closed, and for many of us grieving parents, the case is solved, the sentence is given, but we are the ones that carry the weight until the day that God calls us home.
I was praying the other day and I said, God, I know that you’re the God of justice, but honestly, this is the area that I’m struggling with right now to believe that there actually is true justice. And so I said, God, if this is an area in my heart that you want me to believe, then I’m asking you to change it, but as of right now, God, I only believe in accountability, and I’m only seeking accountability.
Leviticus 19:13 says, do not defraud or rob your neighbor, and I believe this is what Josh’s killers did—they robbed him of his life, they robbed him of experiencing the things that God had spoken over his life. Leviticus 19:15 says, do not pervert justice, do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly, and I believe the community of Waterloo has done this. In Kitchener, they have decided not to speak, they have decided to withhold information because it doesn’t affect their family.
I’ll close with this, and I’m not angry I’ve let go of anger a long time ago because it was destroying me. What I would say is that I continue to have a sadness, to know that people are out there and still are choosing not to do the right thing, but I know the power of prayer and I know the God that I serve, and so my prayer is today that those who know what happened would hold themselves accountable and do the right thing, and that God would shine light and bring to justice the perpetrators that killed my son.
For those who have been following me, I thank you for continuing to be on this ride with me, and for those who are new here, welcome. I pray in the name of Jesus that whatever it is that you’re going through, that the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in perfect peace. And I’ll say this if you’re struggling with finding peace or even trying to understand justice in your child or family member’s case, I would say bring it to God, acknowledge that you’re angry, tell Him exactly how you feel, ‘cause that’s where healing can take place.
Love, The Carpenters Mother
