Stop

Have you ever had one of those days when everything goes wrong? Where you feel the universe is out to get you and whatever you touch is going to break. A while ago I woke up to such a day. Even my morning coffee wasn’t safe because when I sat down to drink it, the mug handle broke clean off and sent home brew and bits of mug all over the lounge floor. When Grace (my four year old daughter) came walking through she got a sharp piece of coffee mug stuck in her foot. Her screams woke up Emily and the day began with wailing and gnashing of teeth.

When a day starts like this it’s best to call in sick. Don’t attempt anything complicated, stay away from heavy machinery; don’t leave the house if you can help it, just hide because trouble is looking for you!

I wish I’d followed my own advice, because a bit later I went out to the SPAR. Surely nothing serious could happen between home and the SPAR!! It turns out a traffic cop happened. Jumping out unexpectedly he pulled me over, apparently for not stopping at the stop street. You know the one I’m talking about, every village, town and city has one; that ridiculous stop sign that no one ever stops at.

 I still can’t help laughing when I think about how I had absolutely no idea what the policeman wanted with me. I thought he must have the wrong person, didn’t he know how good a driver I was? The truth is I don’t think I’ve ever stopped at that stop street, it doesn’t even seem like a stop street to me anymore.

Being caught I decided to take the high ground and thought, “Ok Collin you’re a minister in a small town, be an example, you have done wrong, now take your punishment like a good upstanding Christian citizen.” So I apologised as best I could, I cooperated with the officer and promised to stop at every stop sign I ever came to for the rest of my driving life.

As he wrote up the fine I self-righteously thought of how essential traffic law was and thanked God for making me so open to correction. I thought of how the world would be a better place if some taxi drivers accepted their wrong with the same attitude. That is until I discovered the cost of my transgression. “Sir,” he said in an official voice, “You have committed a criminal offence by failing to stop at the stop sign, you have contravened the laws of the road and endangered the lives of innocent people,” he clearly took his job seriously, “you are fined R1500.”

With a sudden loss of control I gasped, “R1500! What do you mean R1500!!?” then muttered a few more exclamations under my breath. All thoughts of being a model citizen flew out the window and the weaselling began.

Phase 1: Deny the offence.          

“Officer are you sure I didn’t stop? I’m pretty sure I came to a complete stop? I’m a good driver I would never have just driven through a stop sign like that, I respect you and your work but this time you must be mistaken!”

Phase 2: Point out the foolishness and injustice of the rule.

“You know this is really a stupid place to have a stop sign, it’s ridiculous, I mean what does it help to have a stop sign here? It shouldn’t be more than a yield. This is just a money making scheme, you put a stop sign where there shouldn’t be one and then you wait to prey in innocent people like me!”

Phase3: Point out others breaking the same law.

“Why are you picking on me, while we’ve been sitting here I’ve seen at least ten people go through that stop street, but you didn’t pull them over.”

Phase 4: Indirectly hint about being a minister, in the hope religious position will buy some favour

“This is so embarrassing, what are my congregation going to say when they find out their minister got a fine?”

In the end none of the phases worked because he just smiled, placed the fine in my hand and said, “Have a nice day Pastor.”

The law is ruthless, and the consequence for sin painful, but do you think this episode taught me anything? Well apparently not because I recently, while driving, got a smack from Claire. Confused, I turned to her as she said, “Don’t you stop at that stop street?”

In fact, I don't understand why I act the way I do. I don't do what I know is right. I do the things I hate. Although I don't do what I know is right, I agree that the Law is good.  So I am not the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.