Proverbs 16:14
A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,
but a wise man will appease it.
—Proverbs 16:14
Life App
Attitude in the face of adversity will often win the day.
Food for Thought
My youngest son recently received his first traffic ticket. He was on an errand for his mother—to pick up a bag of ice—and was driving his mother’s car. The tag on this new car was from our previously owned car (we were waiting on the dealer to send us the updated information as promised) and our son was stopped for using a tag not registered to the model and make he was driving.
The patrol officers were pretty rough on him. They accused him of driving with a stolen tag—a pretty common occurrence where we live. They threatened to take him to jail. Fortunately, he was able to present an insurance card that showed that he was in the right car with the appropriate temporary tag.
When he had to go to court a few weeks later, I attended with him. The judge called us forward and he began to sternly question my son. He answered every question, humbly and honestly. Finally, the judge looked at me and asked what I had to say. I was angry at the dealership and I was angry with the patrol officers who were so rough on my baby boy. But I set aside that anger and simply replied to the judge that my son’s only offense was that he was running an errand for his mother and that if any law had been broken or fine needed to be paid, it was my fault and that I would make it right.
The judge told us to produce proof of the correct tag being purchased at the next traffic court date and he would throw out all charges.
When we came to court the following week we were in for a surprise. The arresting officers—the ones who had harassed our son and threatened to haul him off to jail—were there to fight the fact that the judge was ready to throw our charges out of court. They argued that we had driven for six months without a tag and were guilty and needed to be punished. The judge and the district attorney looked over the paper work and realized the officers had not put the correct information on the ticket form. Instead of following through with the charges against us, the arresting officers were sternly corrected for improperly doing their jobs and we were released without any additional fines.
Next Steps
Sometimes you’re guilty as sin but sometimes—if you’ll come before those in authority with the right attitude and the right answers—you’re forgiven of your trespasses. Do your best to avoid breaking the laws of man. But more importantly, foster your relationship with God the Father and he will guide you through run-ins with authority.
