Lesson Learned
Well, Little One,
How did it go?
You are sitting here waiting to be called back to the cashier to pay your ticket and court fees fighting back tears. Tell Me about those tears.
The judge showed me favor I probably didn’t deserve.
Probably?
You’re right. The judge showed me favor I didn’t deserve.
That was quick… Go pay your fines and we’ll talk again in the parking lot.
- 10 MINUTES LATER -
Tell Me about what happened in there.
I visited with a girl before everything started who was there because she was texting and driving.
What did she tell you?
She was voice texting and she had only picked up her phone to talk into it when she got pulled over.
How many times have you done that?
Hundreds.
Are we gonna play this game?
There are 365 days in a year. You drive every day. Can you think of a day when there was not something important to say to someone at some point in your commute?
Thousands?
Take off the question mark and you’re working your way towards honesty.
What happened on your way home from your meeting last night?
I was texting.
Were you voice texting?
No. I was typing it on my phone.
From a parking lot?
No, from the road.
What happened?
When I turned on my turn signal to pull into my neighborhood, the car behind me turned on their turn signal and turned into the neighborhood with me.
When I turned my signal on to go right, they turned their signal on to go right. At the next turn, I turned my signal on, and I turned left. They did the same.
Tell Me what you were thinking.
My heart was pounding in my chest. I started to wonder if it was a police officer who was simply calling in my plates before pulling me over. I had been thinking about my court appearance today and I thought it would look really bad for me if I was to get a ticket the night before court for texting and driving.
When the car in my rearview mirror turned right as I continued going forward, I felt a ton of relief.
What did you do when you felt that relief?
I thanked You… OUT LOUD!
Do you honestly think that I am putting an invisible shield around you preventing you from getting in trouble with the law when you are breaking the law?
No offense, but that is not in My character.
When you get away with breaking the law, that is not My Grace in your life any more than I am “causing” a sporting team to win because someone prayed.
When you “get away with” breaking the law, consider yourself lucky, not blessed.
My blessing does not follow disobedience.
Take Me back into that courtroom. What happened next?
They had us watch a six minute video explaining how court was going to go, what we could expect, and what our options were based on the charges.
What were the three options?
1) I could plead guilty, meaning I knew what I was doing was wrong and I did it anyway.
2) I could plead no contest, which essentially meant I’m not pleading guilty, but I am not arguing with the facts written on the ticket.
3) I could plead not guilty, and then I would have to schedule a court hearing and get a lawyer and stuff.
What did you decide?
I figured I would be nervous and I would forget the words so I wrote “no contest” on my hand. When the court reporter called my name, I had a lot going on in my mind. I thought about all the things You said to me this morning and the fact that he had offered each of the previous people the ability to say whatever they wanted to on behalf of the case.
What did he tell you was the potential outcome of your citation?
He said that I could be charged up to $500 plus court costs and the charge against me holds a potential of up to 30 days in jail and a suspended license.
I immediately got a tightness in my chest and wanted to cry. Looking at the ticket I was given, I thought it was a $165 fine.
People rarely think about the consequences of their actions until it is too late and they are faced with the consequences.
Sin has consequences. Sometimes you experience them in the natural, for instance, when you break the law and get a ticket, when extramarital relations lead to unexpected pregnancies, and when poor lifestyle choices lead to illness and disease, but sometimes you get away with sin for years, leading you to believe that what you’re doing isn’t all that bad.
When the judge offered you the opportunity to speak, what did you say?
I said, “Your Honor, I have been praying that God would show me favor in court. The truth is, I probably do not deserve to be shown favor. I plead no contest because I don’t remember passing a school bus when it was stopped, so I can’t tell you that I did that.
I also do not believe that a bus driver would lie about me passing them when they were stopped, so I’m not gonna tell you that I didn’t do it. The truth is, if I did pass a school bus when it was stopped and loading children, it’s because I was distracted, and my full attention was not on the road. That is a bad habit, and one that I need to change.”
What did the judge do next?
He looked me in the eyes for a minute, looked down at his paperwork and looked back at me. He said, “Most of the time, when things like this happen, I don’t think people have bad intentions. I don’t think that you meant to pass a bus that was loading children. I’m going to give you a $75 fine plus court cost.”
I said, “Thank you, Sir,” and went out to the hall to pay my fine.
How much did you pay?
$207 total with a two dollar debit card fee.
If you were to divide that by the number of times you have driven distracted, how much did you pay for each of those times?
Pennies.
LORD, I repent of every time that I have willfully disobeyed or disregarded the law when I am behind the wheel. Please forgive me.
Print off a copy of the rules and penalties for driving in your state and read it. You will never again have the opportunity to plead ignorance. If you break the law - even the smallest law regarding driving - it will be a willful act of disobedience.
Yes, Sir.
You have things to get done. Let this be a lesson learned AND APPLIED, not just a price you paid.
LOVE you,
Daddy
Proverbs 28:12