Parking Ticket

I knew the minute I got out of the elevator that I had been tagged. I had driven downtown to my brother's office last week on one of those rainy days. I parked in one of the usual spots on the curb but when I came down I saw immediately that a familiar green envelope had been stuck under my wipers. I knew the parking meter machine was down and I left a note on my dash, but when I asked the security guard if he knew how to deal with a "broken meter" ticket, he said, the meter isn't the problem, you are parked in a commercial zone. A commercial zone! Sure enough, I had parked one space behind the public parking and it was a commercial spot. Much to my shock when I opened the envelope, I found the fine to be $255.00, if paid within 10 days and $355.00 if paid any later. I read it twice in disbelief. The signage was a little confusing, and the expensive fine was certainly not stated on the sign. I sat there, in the rain, stewing. I had made a huge mistake and contemplated how I was going to fix it. I started thinking about the value of $255.00 and it just made my stomach hurt.

This was Tuesday.The following Monday, I took my bike to the bus stop and hopped a ride downtown, and headed to the courthouse, in hopeful confidence, to contest it. Wasn't quite sure what my reason was going to be but I had nothing to lose. When I got there, I turned my ticket into the desk clerk who told me to wait to be called. It was to be a short wait as I was the only one in the parking adjudication office.

Sylvia called me in to meet at her desk. Her first words were, "well, I see you collected a big one". I did, I replied and quite by accident. It was pouring down rain, the meter wasn't working and I parked by mistake in the place adjacent to the door instead of parking up one space. She said see this ticket, and I said yes. She said you know how I know you are telling the truth about the rain? I guessed and said because the envelope is so crinkled. She said no, it is because the ticket itself has a border that turns yellow in the rain. I smiled and thought: they come up with everything. Then she showed me a picture of a red parking meter and another of a commercial sign. She asked which one did you see? I said the sign, but it was confusing because at the bottom it said pay at meter and I thought commercial vehicles did not have to pay. She said an ordinary citizen would not understand the verbiage and she could see how I had gotten confused, but that commercial vehicles do have to pay. She reduced my fine by $200.00. It was a costly mistake for sure but the reduction to $55.00 made it much more palatable.

I had stewed about this ticket for a week or so, wondering and worrying about how to handle it. It was just so expensive. But I finally had to stand up and address it head on for it to have any chance to be discounted or removed. Otherwise I would either have to pay it in full or give the authorities reason to come after me. This whole deal reminded me of a story that Josh McDowell, a noted Christian author, provided. It is a good analogy, that many of you have heard, demonstrating God's just, righteous nature combined with his grace and mercy stating:

An incident that took place several years ago in California illuminates what Jesus did on the cross in order to solve the problem God had with dealing with the sin of humanity. A young woman was picked up for speeding. She was ticketed and taken before the judge. The judge read off the citation and said "Guilty or not guilty?". The woman replied, "Guilty". The judge brought down the gavel and fined her $100 or ten days. Then an amazing thing took place. The judge stood up, took off his robe,walked down around in front, took out his billfold, and paid the fine. What's the explanation of this? The judge was her father. He loved his daughter, yet he was a just judge. His daughter had broken the law and he couldn't simply say to her "Because I love you so much, I forgive you. You may leave". If he had done that, he wouldn't have been a righteous judge. He wouldn't have upheld the law. But he loved his daughter so much that he was willing to take off his judicial robe and come down in front and represent her as her father and pay the fine.

The lady at the parking office showed me mercy in reducing my fine. I do not know if she had the authority to dismiss it but the reduction was greatly appreciated. The Lord, in all of his mercy does have the authority to forgive all of our sins, he sent his son to this earth to die for that privilege. Ah, but too many times we do not accept that forgiveness and choose instead to hold onto the guilt or shame and get stuck in victim mode or try to get even in revenge and blame mode instead of pushing forward to a new day and God's new way. My mistake was forgiven, not in full, but certainly in a sizable credit. And I know how relieved I was when she stated her gift of mercy. Oh, but how many times do I hold a grudge, or retaliate in anger or frustration to someone who has done me wrong without respect to what God has done for me, in spite of all that I have done wrong.

I started thinking about mistakes and how much we pay for making various mistakes. We pay for them physically, mentally, emotionally and sometimes even spiritually. And all the while we are paying we still remain in debt. We hold on to those mistakes and carry the guilt, the remorse or shame and have a hard time letting them go. But just as Sylvia called me into her office, the Lord has called us into his. He doesn't need any explanation, he knows when and where we have gone down the wrong path, and what the circumstances and situation was that generated an action or reaction. He has already deemed us forgiven because he has already paid our fine in full. All we have had to do is to come to him, face him and ourselves in humble repentance, accept his forgiveness, and believe in his power and authority to dismiss it.

I rode my bike home just considering this whole scenario and thinking about how God sits on his throne, and sees all and knows all and loves us in spite of all the blunders we ignite within ourselves as well as our relationships with others. This great, mighty, loving God sits in judgement but as our Father also sits in an overseeing throne of forgiveness. I just kept thinking: He is so big and I am so little, but he loves me so much that he has made way for me to come to him through Christ so that I am offered the experience of tapping into his strength, his wisdom, his grace....oh but also his mercy. Too many times I stew instead of pray. And then when I do pray I have a hard time accepting the forgiveness that God has already demonstrated. If he forgives me with such loving mercy, why can I not forgive others or forgive myself. Just another one of those thoughts that needs to be restructured in my day to day life.

Good thing God does not give out tickets, I would have to have a cot in his courtroom. But he has given me freedom to enjoy life instead, and each day presents me with choices that I can make that will glorify him by my gratefulness.

Psalm 40:11
Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD; may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
Psalm 79:8
Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.
Psalm 119:132
Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.
Dear Lord, I humbly come to you knowing that I have done nothing to deserve your grace and mercy but I am ever so grateful for your continued hand upon my life. Amen

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!