I got a ticket.
That fateful day has finally come. Ten over the speed limit, resulting in a one hundred and twenty dollar loss.
I don't tell you this because I think anyone out there really cares, but because after some venting, I've come to realize that this is a blessing in disguise. This event helped me come to a realization, that really put my life and my thoughts, into perspective.
Each person struggles with at least one thing, and a prevalent one in my daily life is pride. I take pride in anything I possibly can. I take my heart, which is made complete by and with God, and still try to fill it as though it hasn't been filled already. I take something as small as being a good speller, and what do I do? I magnify it into something greater than what it is, I hold on to it dearly as something that makes me "complete".
Something to be proud of is one thing, but when we turn this into an idol, something needs to change. I have taken my pride, and turned it into an idol. I take so much pride in things I do, I tend to find my identity in those things. An important question posed by a close friend of mine was, " Who is your hero?". Most probably go straight to Batman or Superman, but as Christians, it needs to be Jesus. We need to look to Jesus as our role model, our savior, and our hero. Our identity needs to be completely found in God, because without him we are nothing. As Job says "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away." As much as we like to think we control our lives, we simply don't.
So what does any of the above have to do with a traffic ticket you ask? Simple, everything. My driving record has been cleaner than a fresh snowfall, for the nearly 6 years I have been driving. This is the reason for this whole post. Just yesterday, I was boasting about my clean driving record. I was taking pride in the fact that I was such a good driver, I'd never gotten a ticket. I was placing my identity in my driving ability. And then what happens less than twenty four hours later? Bam! God slaps me in the forehead, in the classic "should've had a V8" fashion, and gave me the reality check I'd been needing. He brought light to a problem in my heart that needs to fixed. He showed me that it doesn't matter what I do, but what He has done.
While I can't say I'm a big fan of the large price I have to pay for speeding, its a small price to pay to be reminded of who He is, and what He has done for me.
