Sunday Driver...

I'm having to sincerely repent of enjoying someone else's misfortune! I know it's wrong and I'm working on that character flaw, but when you hear the details of the story, you may just need to repent, too.

Near our home, there is a major road construction project going on. They are linking a 4 lane bypass into the highway that runs in front of our house and will eventually put in an overpass, so it appears the work will be going on for quite a while longer. In the middle of the mess, of course, they have posted "work zone" warning signs and the speed limit drops from 55 to 35 in that area.

Now, I was once a city bus driver and am acutely aware of traffic signs (not to mention the fact that I don't want to see my insurance rates go up due to a ticket) so I obey that reduced speed limit religiously and poke along through that spot like a little old lady who only drives on Sunday! At the moment, though, I seem to be the ONLY person who takes that work zone all that seriously.

At the point that the speed limit drops, if a car comes up behind me, they don't have an opportunity to pass legally for at least a mile. You can't begin to imagine the ABUSE I've taken, driving back and forth through that spot, at the hands of highly irrate drivers who can not understand why I won't speed up. Often, I have someone so close to my bumper, you couldn't get a piece of paper between us. This is accompanied by horn blowing, middle finger waving, swerving, and shouting in many cases.

Needless to say, as soon as they reach the spot when the double yellow line ends, they take off like a shot around me, their eyes burning holes as they go by, mouths moving, reciting verbage I'm probably glad I can't understand. Away they zoom, leaving me in their wake as I continue to plod along at 35.

And the most frustrating thing of all? They get away with it! Day after day, week after week, when I reach the crest of the steep hill in the middle of the work zone, the cars who passed me are long gone. I can't count the times I've said, "Where's a cop when you need one!??" It's been so irritating to think that there I am, trying to do what's right, obeying the rules, to the letter of the law...and nobody is around to see me do right...or the other guy do WRONG!

That is, until the other day. The scene was familiar: Me poking along, another car weaving anxiously behind, loosing their minds over the anoying obstacle of my car in their way. They had come up on me SO fast, they'd already missed the first opportunity to get around me and had to wait until we got to the top of the hill for their next chance. As I came up over the crest, though, I could see what they could not. Nestled descreetly in the bushes just about a half mile down the road was a police car! Right as both our cars came into view, my frantic follower slammed his gas pedal to the floor and breezed by me...not looking down the road ahead of him, but staring into my car, giving me "THE" look that said, "Get outta the way, you slow old broad!" Guess that's why he didn't see those blue lights pop on until he was nearly up on the cop's back bumper!

Of course, I slowed down even more to make sure the officer had PLENTY of room to slide right in behind his prey. Both cars pulled over immediately, barely clearing the road way, so naturally, I had to creep by for the safety of all involved. As a result, this also gave me lots of time to make eye contact with the offending driver and flash him a pretty smile as I went by! MY look said, "Uh, huh, big boy! Look who's on the side of the road and look at the slow old broad passing YOU by!"

Aside from the fact that I enjoyed that whole event WAY too much, I did learn something else from what happened. I was SO frustrated at consistantly doing the right thing, without reward or recognition, and was downright jealous of that multitude of others who zoomed right past me, breaking every rule, but seeming to get away with it.

Isn't that the way it sometimes is with alot of things in life? When we try our hardest to follow God's rules and obey Him, we are often viewed as saps and suckers who are missing out on life in the fast lane. While we are plodding along, watching His road signs and going at His speed, it appears at times that the sinners are having a blast, racing along, wind in their hair, with no penalties at all! It make us downright angry and we find ourselves questioning God and questioning His rules.

When we see the consequences hit home, though, and when we see a sinner trip up and fall over his disregard for the law, it suddenly reminds us that someone IS watching, even when we don't perceive Him. Just as the speeder who zipped past me was probably doing what HE did on a regular basis (i.e. ignore the rules) I was busy doing what I tried to practice every day! When the time came that somebody WAS paying close attention, I didn't have to abruptly change my ways and do something new. I just kept behaving as I do every time I pass that way!

There is an old saying we're all familiar with: "Practice makes perfect." I'm, by NO means, anywhere close to perfect at this point in life...but if I am PRACTICING the behaviors, values, and morals that God has called me to, I am so much less likely to end up on the side of the road, paying the penalty for the consequences that come from flaunting the rules and trying to do it all at my own speed.

Yes, somedays, when I'm passed up by folks having what seems like a WAY better time, it can be hard to see the point. On the other hand, someday, I'll stand before the Lord and, hopefully, get to hear Him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." With that goal in mind, I realize I'd rather get there in HIS timing and on HIS road, rather than to race my own way and my own speed headlong into a crash!

So, both on the road and in life, I think I'll just bide my time, slow down where I'm told to and enjoy the ride!