Grace and Speeding Tickets

I’ve been thinking a lot about grace lately. And sin. And our attitude about sin.

My thoughts on grace were multiplied this past week when I got pulled over for speeding.

There were so many things going on that led to the ticket. I had been using cruise control the whole way to Kansas City but turned it off once I reached the city. The route I took was right by downtown, which becomes almost residential in areas and is very congested and confusing. As I was driving through, being careful of the other traffic and watching for my exit, I missed the speed limit signs. But because I was being passed on the left and right, I figured I was ok. But I wasn’t. When that siren went off, I have to admit I thought some other sucker was getting pulled over. Imagine my surprise when I look in the mirror to see I am that sucker.

I had no idea what my speed was or the speed limit. So when the officer said I was going 12 miles per hour over the speed limit, I had to trust that was the truth. When I said I was going with traffic and being passed, he said “yep, you can’t trust what everyone else is doing.” I handed him my license and the registration. I was in a friend’s car so I could not find the insurance.

The officer was very kind. We talked about my destination (the airport) and he advised a different route on the way home to avoid the downtown speed limit changes and traffic. We talked about my upcoming move to Michigan and the fact that Missouri drivers are on the top 10 worst list for the country. He then asked me if I wanted a cheap ticket or an expensive ticket. I said if it is my choice, I would prefer the cheap ticket. (He said he once had a gentleman say expensive… and that is what he gave him).

When the officer returned, he handed me a ticket for a seat belt violation. He said it would be a lot cheaper than a ticket for speeding and would not give me any points on my license. Then he said he did not write me up for the insurance.

Ah grace… what a beautiful thing.

Since then I have retold this story, thinking everyone is going to agree that I was given grace and rejoice with me. Only most of the time that is not the reaction I was given. Most people have said “but if people were passing you, he should have pulled them over instead.”

I get what they are saying. There were others (many, many others) who were going a lot faster and did not get a ticket. And that doesn’t seem fair, does it? But the thing is… I was guilty. I wasn’t going as fast and I was not doing it intentionally… but I was still breaking the law. I was guilty (and deserved a much larger ticket than I was given). And in that light, I was more than grateful for the grace I was given.

As I thought about this reaction to my ticket, I couldn’t help but think about how this mirrors common attitudes toward sin. How often do I look at someone and rank their sin in order to make me feel better about my own sin? “Yes I was sharing in a little gossip, but at least I didn’t (fill-in-the-blank with anything I have seen others doing that I didn’t do… or didn’t get caught doing...)” How often do the “greater” sins of others leave me thinking I have nothing to repent because I’m not that bad?

But the thing is, I do sin – often. And when I ignore my sins, I overlook the need to repent for those sins. And while I am so busy justifying my sin, essentially I am crucifying Christ over and over again.

So as you think about grace today, don’t neglect to honestly think about (and repent of) that sin in your life. Because we will never fully understand and appreciate the amazing grace we have been given, until we can honestly acknowledge the depth of the sin in our own lives.