I had an occasion to sit in Judge William Kent Hamlin’s court for half a day this week as an observer. He did what most judges do, moved agenda, shuffled papers, read obligatory minutia over and over, and granted requests from lawyers with predetermined outcomes. Primarily, he did what we pay him to do – clear calendars.

But from time to time, he had the opportunity to be a wise judge and in one brief statement, I saw that blatantly demonstrated.

Without looking up except to glance briefly at the man in the dock, he rather shyly and without fanfare muttered these profound words that should be addressed by every person who is engaged in dead end behaviors. They ought to have been shouted, engraved, published, and disseminated widely.

Since he probably won’t, I will. Good job, Judge.

He was sentencing a repeat drug offender to 3 years (2 plus an enhancement) for burglary – rather routinely, dispassionately, courteously, and with the agreement of all the lawyers in the room.

He asked and observed, "Can the dope be that good that for the last 13 years of your life you’ve done nothing but steal stuff and do time to get it? I’d like you to think about that for the next year and a half or so in custody and maybe on parole. Maybe this time you’ll decide to kick the habit and get a life."

As a pastor, encourager, coach, and friend, that rang a bell with me. We work with people regularly who are addicted to drugs, alcohol, failure, negativity, sin, professional victimization, bigotry, and chronic lethargy among other self-destructive attitudes and behaviors. Some result in societal crimes; others are more personal; all affect other people. All keep people from "getting a life" and rising above their limits on the road to success and significance.

Judge Hamlin might want to consider becoming a network marketing trainer once he has done his time on the bench reading long, boring edicts for a living because he hit the nail on the head and his words could not have been truer. No pastor I know could have said them better.

And he did a really good job of not being condescending or letting on that his heart was truly broken with genuine human care and concern for the guy that stood before him. I saw it and I am exposing him here and now as a compassionate judge who really cares about his people.

More so, we can all take the words he so truthfully spoke to heart. How long will we let dead-end attitudes, behaviors, and habits keep us from becoming the people we were made to be? how long will we let such lesser things cloud our dreams, obscure our goals, and sidetrack the activities and commitments that get us what we truly desire in life?

What is stopping you?

Would you be willing to stop what is stopping you?

Judge Hamlin gave that man a gift. If he has any active sense at all that has not been repressed by years of drug use, he will see it as a gift and avail himself of the opportunity of considering his ways. I pray that his eyes will be opened, his heart warmed, and his life redeemed. I also pray that for you and for myself because it is housecleaning time for all of us.

It is time to lay aside what Hebrews 12 called, "the sin that doth so easily beset us" and begin to run "the race that is set before us."

What is the sin? It is whatever keeps you from running the race.

Thanks, Judge Hamlin. Good work. Thanks for doing my job. Will you start today or can the dope be that good?

– Tom Sims, The Dream Factory