Bad Drivers

A friend from a former church once complained to me about bad drivers. He said that when you went to get your driver's license renewed, they should issue you a dart gun with five darts. Each dart had a little flag on one end that simply said "idiot." Whenever you saw someone doing something stupid, you could shoot their car with the dart gun so the "idiot flag" was clearly visible. Whenever the police saw a car with three "idiot flags,"they would pull the person over and give them a ticket for bad driving!
I know how he felt! I have seen some of the crazy things people do when they get behind the wheel!
Just this past week I was coming home from church on Viola Road. I looked in my rearview mirror to see this driver pass a car that was a ways behind me. And Mr. Bad Driver was in a big hurry! He was catching up to me quickly.
There was a pickup in front of me - driving at a reasonable rate of speed. So I was content to stay behind Mr. Pickup. But not Mr. Bad Driver! As we were going up a hill, he pulled out to pass me! And, we were in a no-passing zone! I just shook my head in wonder as he went around me!
But then I was astounded when he stayed in the left lane to pass Mr. Pickup too! Just before we reached the top of the hill, another car popped over the hill towards us! Mr. Bad Driver had no place to go! Fortunately, Mr. Pickup swerved onto the shoulder and I hit my brakes hard, expecting something terrible was about to happen. Mr. Bad Driver quickly pulled into the lane the pickup had vacated and just missed a head-on collision!
I wondered why anyone would be in such a hurry to pull such a stupid stunt as that! His bad driving could have easily impacted many lives in the four cars that were there - which included mine! Why would anyone be in such a hurry to risk the lives of people in four different vehicles? It makes absolutely no sense!
But then...don't we do stupid things? I know I have caught myself making a mistake in my driving that I would describe as idiotic driving! And I am sure you have too! We all make stupid driving decisions at some time or another. And some of our blunders are costly.
The rules of the road were not designed to prevent us from enjoying driving. They were designed for the safety of the drivers on the road. We know that. But sometimes we get in a hurry, like Mr. Bad Driver, and we find ourselves in serious danger.
God's rules of life were not designed to prevent us from enjoying life. They were designed for our safety and the safety of others. Many of life's problems and much of life's pains could be avoided by "loving God with all our hearts, with all our soul, and with all our mind and loving our neighbor as ourselves" (Matthew 22:37-39).
Just consider for a minute the consequences of how we live. Every conversation today will impact our relationships tomorrow. Every action today will reflect on our character tomorrow. Every selfish attitude today will damage our relationship with God immediately.
You see, living by the rules makes a difference! The Psalmist knew this when he wrote, "I have your decrees as a heritage forever, indeed, they are the joy of my heart. I am resolved to obey your statutes to the very end" (Psalm 119:111-112). Living by the rules brings joy, not misery!

Celebrating Birthdays

I am only one day older than my lovely bride! That proximity has its advantages. It is hard to forget her birthday when I celebrate mine the day before! Plus, my birthday experience can weigh in on hers. Let me give an example.
I remember well the year I turned 40. No one at work knew I was turning 40 and I wanted to keep it that way. I wanted a simple, and quiet, birthday. So I told my lovely spouse not to do anything to draw attention to my birthday. No balloons. No fanfare. No nothing. I even warned her that if she did do something, I would get even immediately. She nodded and I was glad she understood.
My birthday arrived and I went to work. Everything was quiet, just the way I wanted it. I went to lunch with a friend, and was shocked to see black balloons in my office when I returned! Only one person knew it was my birthday, and that was the conniving woman I am married to!
I called her on the phone and voiced my displeasure with her handiwork. I warned her that I would get even. After all, her birthday was the next day.
"What can you do to me?", she asked. "I don't work outside the home", she gloated. I told her I would get even and hung up the phone.
Immediately I began calling people. I called our pastor. I called some church friends. I called some neighbors. I called some of her PTA friends. I invited them to a birthday party for the Mrs. and told them the birthday party was the next morning a 8 AM. Then I called the school and informed them that I would be taking my boys out of school for a short while the next morning. I informed my boss that I would be late coming to work the next day. The stage was set...
You see, that lovely lady that I adore is not like me at all. I get up early and hit the ground running each morning. The Mrs. never sees the sunrise! Especially late in May! She prefers to stay up late and sleep in. So she does. In those days, she would get up and get the boys ready for school, get them out the door, then she would go back to bed! She was going to get a nice surprise for her birthday!
I got up and got ready for work the next day, like always. But instead of going to work, I went to the store and bought lots of fresh donuts. I stopped at the school on the way home and picked up the boys. We snuck into the back yard and decorated the picnic table with the same black balloons she gave me. Then we went back around to the front porch. People started gathering at the front door...LOTS of people!
The time was perfect. I knew she was back in bed. And I rang the doorbell... No way would she have time to put on makeup, or get dressed beyond throwing on a robe! And she had to answer the door! I listened as she made her way down the stairs. I persistently continued to ring the doorbell. Finally she opened the door and saw the crowd!
I led her around to the back yard and we had a thoroughly enjoyable time singing the birthday song and eating donuts. All the while, I just smiled at her and told her "I warned you!" It was a great birthday!
Our culture tends towards "getting even." When I "got even" with my bride, it was all in fun. But in this culture, it is seldom for fun. In fact, getting even usually means "getting even...and then some!"
But Jesus challenges us in Matthew 5:44 to "love your enemies" and "pray for those who persecute you." This is not easy, and in fact it is nearly impossible without Jesus' help! But with God, all things are possible, so we can love our enemies instead of getting even. Max Lucado points out in "Just Like Jesus" that "the burden of bridge-building falls on the strong one, not on the weak one. The one who is innocent is the one who makes the gesture." Instead of getting even, let's be bridge-builders!