One night I was watching a program on the Discovery Channel called “Cold Cases.” It dealt with cases not immediately solved – usually within a two-year period – but that were eventually solved a number of years later.
It also showed how modern technology, namely DNA and modern fingerprinting, aided police in the eventual capture of the fugitives. It had also shown that, although the perpetrators of such dastardly deeds may have initially escaped the hands of justice in the short term, they were eventually brought into its powerful clutches.
As I was watching this program, I began to reflect on the multitude of cold cases, both solved and unsolved, that I have watched on television over the years. I marveled at the ones solved and wondered at the ones unsolved.
Pertaining to the ones that were unsolved, two commonly used phrases come to mind – “What’s done in the dark will eventually come to light,” and “What’s done behind closed doors will eventually be brought out into the open.”
Somewhere out there is the missing piece to the puzzle. Somebody out there must have the key to the solution of the case, and somebody out there must have a strong determination to solve it.
Whether those cases get resolved or not will depend greatly on such factors.
According to Galatians 6:8 in the Holy Bible, “Be not deceived – God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, the same shall he also reap.” It simply means that whatever one does, be it good or bad, it will eventually come back to help or hurt them, sometimes manifold.
In the case of the cold cases, the suspect wasn’t caught right away due to various circumstances. However, with time, space, and changing circumstances, the suspects were eventually apprehended.
The idea of sowing and reaping can be likened to a farmer planting seeds. When the farmer plants out of season, chances are nothing grows.
However, if the farmer does plant in season, he can expect a fruitful harvest. In the early stages, as the seed begins to take root and germinate into a plant, the reaping is not even taken into consideration.
However, as the plant begins to take root and shoot upward toward the earth’s surface, one can witness the plant forming and developing into whatever nature dictates for it. In its final stage, the plant has already developed and borne fruit for consumption.
In the real world, it can be likened to the choices one makes in his or her life. The end result of the quality of their human life will depend greatly upon the quality of his or her decisions.
In many instances success may not be immediate, but will eventually come to the diligent and patient. In the case of “Cold Cases,” justice may not come swiftly, but it is definite and eventual.
Jackson can be reached at jjackson@campustimes.org.
