Once again the suburb in which I live has made the news for something other than city-related issues. I recently blogged about the news story of a former teacher being arrested. This time the news is reporting that one of the convicted murderers that Mississippi governor, Haley Barbour, pardoned last month has moved to Alabaster. In 1993 David Gatlin shot and killed his estranged wife. And according to news reports, he now lives just a few miles from me.

Yet, I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid that he’s going to run out in the streets waving a gun, or walk into the school buildings firing shots, or walk up to a neighbor’s house and murder someone, or participate in a drive-by shooting. I’m not worried about any of those things.

Why?

Because I know what it is to be given a second chance. I know that we all are capable of anything, even though most of think we’d never commit such a heinous crime. But given the wrong set of circumstances, unless we fully trust and rely on God {and let’s face it…most of us give in to our flesh much more often than we like to admit}, we’re capable of doing horrific things we never imagined. Yes, even committing murder.

I don’t know why Barbour chose to pardon this man, but obviously, it was undeserved. After all, he was serving a life sentence. But what I do know is that undeserved second chances often have a way of humbling us. They make us keenly aware of our guilt, and humbly thankful for the grace bestowed upon us. It’s when we take grace for granted, thinking we deserve it, that it becomes commonplace to us. I have no clue what Gatlin thinks about his second chance. I can merely filter his story through the lens of my own, and I imagine him being humbled every time his freedom crosses his mind.

I’d like to believe our community would at least give him a chance before condemning him. I’d like to believe that our community would like to see him succeed. I’d like to believe our community would encourage him to thrive in his newfound freedom.

Unfortunately, I don’t believe that will be the case because fear prefers people to live in shackles rather than in freedom and love.

Note: I am in no way belittling the pain of the victim’s family, or their desire to see justice in its completion.