“Drinking is one of the attributes of a stubborn, rebellious, and disobedient child.” -- Deuteronomy 21:20
Geoff was hammered! He fought with his girlfriend Barb for the car keys. A few beers – big deal! He was certainly sober enough to drive the 10 minute route home. There weren’t many people on the road at this time of night anyway.
Despite her protests, Geoff got behind the wheel. He felt fine. His head was spinning but the fresh air invigorated him. Barb was screaming at him to slow down, so he cranked up the tunes. She could be such a pain sometimes.
He smiled. No worries . . . until he saw the flashing lights in his rear view mirror. Holy crap!
A quick glance at the speedometer - nearly 50 in a residential area. Too late for prayer, he’d have to ‘man up.’
"Hello, Geoff, Hello Barb." No smile.
"Guess you caught me red-handed Officer. I’m done for the night, going right home now,” he mumbled timidly.
No response. This is bad Geoff thought.
Luke motioned politely for Geoff to step out of the car and blow into the breathalyzer. He “blew” softly but could smell failure looming. How humiliating.
He slumped back into his car and stared blankly at the dashboard. Minutes crawled by as Luke continued to write, maybe multiple violations. Geoff was scared. Barb wept quietly.
A tap on the door jerked his head to the open window as Luke handed him a folded paper. "Thanks." Geoff sneered caustically. What a jerk he thought. This would be expensive.
Luke returned to his car without speaking. When Geoff unfolded the paper, he sat stunned. Was this some kind of joke? Not a ticket – but this handwritten message:
“My daughter was six when killed by a drunk driver. A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free . . . free to hug all 3 of his daughters. She was my only one. I’m waiting until heaven before I can hug her again. I've tried to forgive him, but I need to do it again, even tonight. Please pray for me and be careful. My son is all I have left. Love in Christ, Luke"
Geoff spun around to watch Officer Luke’s patrol car disappear. Soon they too pulled away. As Barb drove home slowly, both of them prayed for forgiveness and thanked God for their safe return.
Life is precious – handle gently!
Forgive me Jesus, for the dumb choices I make sometimes. I know I learn from my mistakes – I just seem to make more than others. Thank you for loving me, and teach me the power of forgiving those who hurt me. Stay close to me, my faithful and truest friend. Amen
