Flashing Lights

“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;  but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”  James 1:13-14

This last spring I had the good fortune to travel to upstate New Hampshire on a business trip.  It was an absolutely gorgeous week and nature was truly thriving in late spring weather.  Every day the sky was clear blue with big, puffy clouds bumping along.  The breeze was gentle and there wasn’t a hint of raindrops.  Everywhere there was the smell of green grass and the sound of insects buzzing.  A walk at lunch was the most I got to experience the wonder of nature in spring, since the rest of the time I was holed up in an office, working hard away.

One evening I had a chance to get out of the town where I was working and instead visit one of my colleagues at his home.  He and his wife lived about 20 miles out in the country in an old farm house.  The drive out gave me a chance to see rural New England for the first time.  On arrival we enjoyed a drink in the back yard and came inside when the mosquitoes got too bad.  She made a lovely dinner and after eating we relaxed until long after the sun went down.  As I got into the car to leave, his last words were to be careful of my speed.  He said the police in each little enclave between his house and town would certainly be actively looking for speeders.

So I headed out, a little unsure of myself.  The curving road was unfamiliar and I had to concentrate just to see which way it turned at the end of my headlights.  I was constantly on the look-out for speed signs.  It seemed the road was just a continuum of different speed zones.  First it was 55mph, then slowed to 45mph approaching a tiny village, then 25mph in the village.  Then the speed was up again until the next village.  Around every corner I was worried there was a speed limit sign I wouldn’t see in the enveloping darkness.  I passed one police car hiding behind a tree with his lights off.

I was coming out of one village where the speed limit had been 30mph.  I was looking carefully for the sign increasing the speed limit but hadn’t seen it yet.  I could see at least three cars in my rear view mirror so I slowly eased down on the accelerator and brought my speed up to 40mph.  As soon as I did I discovered the car directly behind me was a police car.  I pulled over and waited for the inevitable speeding ticket for going over 30mph.  Then things got worse.  I couldn’t find the contract for my rental car, and there was nothing in the glove box to help.  What’s worse, the speed limit was actually 45mph and I was stopped on suspicion of drunk driving because I was going so much less than the speed limit.  In the end it turned out fine after I explained my situation to the officer and he found that obviously I had not had anything to drink.

Some people live their life as if God were the police officer of the universe, hiding behind every rock and tree, waiting for each of us to make a mistake.  They go through life they way I drove that night, gripping the steering wheel in fear of making a mistake, sure that any infraction will be immediately punished.  They assume God has a thick ticket book and is trying to fill it up every day with as many citations as possible.  They might even think it is hopeless to try and live a life with God, since sooner or later they will make a mistake and God will be there to haul them off to some kind of spiritual jail.  The reality is that God is on my side.  I do make mistakes every day; “sin” to use an old fashioned word little spoken anymore.  What gives me hope every morning is that when I choose to live my life with God, it is like driving around all day with Him in my passenger seat.  Oh, and He’s my lawyer.

[PhotoCredit:davidonscott15 & sam t. s.]