That's the Ticket: A Lesson in Mercy

It was a cool clear morning and I was zipping down the freeway near Barstow, on my way to work.

A wonderful sermon blasted through the speakers in my car.

My body may have been in the car driving, but my spirit was at a North Carolina Camp Meeting and it was awesome!

Out of the corner of my right eye, in the middle of the long stretch of desert landscape, I spotted a white tumbleweed with red and blue lights...pointing a radar gun at me!

Roh-oh.

I quickly and casually brake while glancing at my speedometer which had only decreased to 82 by the time I flew past the highway patrol car.

Immediately the patrol car cut off a big rig, jumped on the freeway, made 3 illegible lane changes and cruised right up behind me flashing his lights.

'MEEEEE??????" I shout to my rear view mirror in feigned indignation and surprise. "I'm only going 60 now!!!"

I pull over and come to a stop on the shoulder behind a second policeman issuing someone else a ticket.

How embarrassing. The row of shame.

The officer comes up to my passenger window.

Policeman: "You were caught speeding, give me your ID and registration and insurance." 

I give him my ID and open the glove box to search for my registration and insurance.

147 napkins spring up out of the glove box.

I begin to dig through them nervously and start tossing stuff on the floorboard as the policeman waits impatiently.

I realized this might be a good time for the officer to find Jesus and learn about mercy and forgiveness and grace so I leave the Camp Meeting sermon on and let it play while I dig through the glove box. After removing a diaper, I find the items he needed.

Policeman: Do you know how fast you were going?

Me: Uh, 82.

Policeman: Close, I got you at 85. Do you know what the speed limit is here?

Me: Let's go with 80.

Policeman: No, it is 70.

Me: Oh. Wow. That can't be good.

Policeman: Wait here. If you get cold you may roll up the window.

He walks around the car one time and comes back to the window. I turn up the sermon volume a tiny bit more.

Policeman: Where is your front licence plate?

Me: Um, I don't think the car came with one.

Policeman: How long ago did you purchase this car?

Me: About 3 years ago.

Policeman: Wait here.

Great.

I can't believe this is happening to me. I have never been ticketed, pulled over, arrested, cited, nothing!!!

I begin to strategize.

I've heard that a good way to get out of a ticket is to cry. Maybe if I start crying and I tell the officer that I have never had a ticket before, just maybe he will feel like a big bully and let me go. Men can not handle a crying woman.

I wait until I see him start to get out of his car and then I scrunch up my eyes and sniff a couple of times, trying to make some tears.

Nothing.

I think sad thoughts.

Little dead puppies....expired Joann's coupons....

Tap. Tap.

I roll down the window...dry eyed.

Policeman: Well Mrs. Gavin, I am going to write you a fix-it ticket for the front licence plate and this time I am just going to give you a warning about your speeding. I see here that you have a perfect driving record. 

Me: Yes sir, I am almost 32 years old and I have never had a ticket.

Impressed Policeman: Really? That is better than me.

Me: Oh, well, ok thank you sir! 

And that was the end of my ordeal! I felt so light! and freeee! and happy! and..forgiven!

I am now able to rustle up some tears as I thank God for my blessing.

I totally deserved the ticket yet I was given another chance to go out into the world and drive better, safer and slower.

I began to ponder how much more we have been forgiven by Jesus on the cross.

Jesus told a parable in Matthew 18:23 about a king that forgave a servant of his debt. After being forgiven, the servant went out and found someone who owed him money and had him put in prison until he could pay. When the king found out, he punished the servant who even after having been forgiven, did not in turn forgive as well.

This made me aware of how crucial it was to take this blessing and this forgiveness shown to me by the law and think about how I could show mercy to someone in the same way.

Sometime we Christian's are so quick to judge people by the rules and laws without thinking of their soul. Jesus was constantly challenging the religious rulers of His day because they were always accusing Jesus of breaking the law, when Jesus was concerned with healing and saving people. 

I feel God encouraging me to stop being so critical of other people and their actions. Praying for people and minding my own business instead of constantly dreaming up ways to help others straighten up.

The world doesn't need anymore correct people or people who have all the answers, but the world does needs more people who can be kind and listen and show mercy and forgiveness, reflecting the very essence of Jesus.

The Eye of God: A Lesson on Relationship with God

"Mommy, can I be done now?"

I look toward the little voice at my side, and see Jubilee asking to be finished with dinner. I glance at her plate and observe a variety of veggies, strategically pushed and smushed so they have the appearance of having been eaten.

Without saying a word, I look at Jubilee, look at the veggies, look back at Jubilee, raise one eyebrow and resumed eating.

Jubilee sighs dramatically, flops into her chair and begins to poke at her veggies once again.

This nightly ritual had little relevance to me until one day when I was listening to a sermon in the car on my way to work. Reverend Lee Stoneking was referencing Psalm 32:8. In this verse God is speaking and He says,

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye."

It is easy to understand how God is able to instruct and teach us. We have the Bible, and we have preachers and teachers that God places in our lives to speak His word and help us to get through our daily lives. When we decide to serve God, we know that the rest of our days will be filled with wonderful instruction because we strive everyday to be better than the day before and we can not grow without it.If we ever hope to be like Jesus, we need daily instruction.

Now the second half of this scripture is the part that is hard to fathom. 

God will guide us with His eye.

Not his spoken work, not His written word, but His glance. 

Just a look.

When I begin to think about how amazing it would be to know God enough and to be in tune enough to be guided by the eye of God, I am completely overcome.

How could I ever know the direction that God is looking or wants me to go?

I felt the answer impressed upon my heart as I pondered this concept.

Everyday of a Christian's life is a journey to become more like Jesus. 

In order to be like Jesus, we have to know Him. 

In order to learn about Him, we have to talk to Him and read about Him. 

For example, the more time you spend with someone, the more you get to know them. 

When you begin to get to know someone you are able to recognize their voice when they call you on the phone without them saying their name. When you know someone very well, you can then easily identify their likes and dislikes, their quirks and their habits. You know their dreams and their ambitions. People who are married for hundreds of years even begin to look like each other! By this time, they can read each others thoughts and when one dies, the other is sure to go. These people seem to be intertwined on a sub conscious level.

This is the depth of relationship that we should seek with God and the Bible says it is not impossible! It sounded unattainable until God reminded me about the veggie incident.

When Jubilee asked me if she could be done, No words were spoken yet Jubilee went away knowing what she had to do in order to be done. 

So how did Jubilee come to understand "the look'?

I am sure that most of it came from Jubilee knowing me well and by having an initial understanding that in our home, veggies need to be eaten before you can leave the table. Because she knew that already, and because we had told her that before on numerous occasions, and she knew what her "job" was, as soon as I looked at the veggies, it just confirmed to her what she already knew and understood. If I had looked over at Jeeves and back to Jubilee, she would have been confused and she probably would have thought I was giving her permission to feed the veggies to the dog.

So how can we find relevance with this example? When it comes to  God's "look" we know that God is a spirit, so we can't physically see Him eyeballing us. So how do we discern where he is looking?

This is only going to come from an established relationship with God. One where instruction has previously been given and one in where we know what God wants us to do and be. 

We can not see the wind blowing but we see the trees swaying. In this same way, we can look around and see where the move of God is and where we should be.

It is important for us to have an understanding of the direction of God.

In my personal walk, I feel that I am starting to be able to identify God's voice. 

If this were a relationship with another human, it would only be in the beginning stages! Yet I have  known God my entire life! When the Bible talks about sheep, it says that even the sheep know their Master's voice.  So what is the mystery is about hearing the voice of God? And why am I just OK with being able to recognize God's voice now and again?

I am not near as close to God as I would like to be, and for that reason, knowing that there will be a time in my relationship with God that I will know His so well that He will lead me with His eye, this gives me great hope and excitement. 

There is so much more that God wants to reveal to us as we get to know Him better. He has the most amazing things planned for us but we have to keep moving forward. 

I want every step I take to be in the will of God. I know that He alone hold the plan for my life and that without His guidance, I would never be able to find that plan on my own. My own will gets in the way of what God has for me and I want to be in the will of God at all times because it is only in the will of the God that you have His blessings on your life and His protection and His pleasure. I want the eye of God to look my way and be pleased with what He sees.