I had one of those unexpected surprises this week. You know the kind that comes out of nowhere and smacks you over the head. Only this once smacked me in the rear bumper – not mine, the one on the back of my car. I was royally rear ended while stopped at a traffic light. The young woman who hit me was so distracted by whatever she was doing she didn’t even attempt to apply the brakes before meeting the brick wall of my Lincoln. Her car was totaled. Mine was significantly damaged. Thank God I and none of the six people in her car were injured.
The big question is always “did she have insurance?” Well, yes and no. She was driving her father’s vehicle which did have insurance in effect. However, she was driving with a suspended license and was restricted from driving his car. The coverage may or may not be valid. Not only was she driving with a suspended license but she had two children in the car, a baby and a toddler, neither of whom were secured in any kind of child restraint. To add to the picture, she had spent the morning telling a judge she couldn’t serve jury duty because she had no license and couldn’t drive , therefore her father would have to drive her to the court house and wait for her each day to drive her home. The judge excused her. I think that may be perjury or contempt of court or something.
With my damaged car and my sore back from the impact I have been struggling with the fairness of the situation. I am a law abiding person who follows the rules. I wear my seat belt, never haul kids around without having them in car seats, carry insurance at all times and obey the speed limit (almost always). I am hit by a person who has no regard for rules and no respect for the legal system obviously. The repair to my car will probably have to be covered by my own insurance. And – in the end, when all the details had been recorded and all the paperwork exchanged, the policeman investigating the accident allowed two men in a pickup truck to hook up to her car and tow it away, with two little ones still inside, no car seats, and her behind the wheel, no license.
It’s easy to get cynical, questioning why I should follow the rules when others don’t. Why should I pay for insurance when inevitably I will be hit by someone who doesn’t? Why should I suffer (sore neck, sore back, head ache) for another’s poor choices?
The answer of course can be found in Colossians 3:22 where we are told to “obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.”
Obedience is a central principal of a life lived for Christ. Any disobedience, be it against God’s law or the laws that govern my earthly life, is sin. Sin separates me from Christ. I can’t find any scripture in my Bible referring to life being fair or to there being exceptions to the do-not-sin rule. Instead I am told that to show “sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord” I’m to obey the rules even when no one is looking. It has nothing to do with fairness or equality. It has to do with an honest and committed relationship.
In fact, obedience that is accompanied by suffering was initiated by the Christ I serve, who never asked “why should I suffer (pierced hands, pierced feet, pierced heart) for another’s poor choices?”
God calls me to be His light in every situation with the goal of that light shining into a heart that has none. Instead of lamenting the unfairness of the situation I am choosing to pray that something in my demeanor reflected the grace of God. I am hoping that my example of being responsible enough to carry insurance and a valid driver’s license will have some influence on the other driver’s thought process before she gets behind the wheel again. And I am giving it to God who in the end is the only one who can soften a disobedient heart. Will you join me in my prayer for a young woman named Ruby who needs Christ’s touch?
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message…” John 17:20
