“And God commended His love for us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
There is a dreaded stretch of Interstate 5 between Sacramento and Lodi where it narrows to two lanes. The heavy truck traffic going 57mph dominates the right lane, and those of us who travel a bit faster pass them in the left lane at what the DMV might call an appropriate speed (taking into account the weather, speed of traffic ahead, and other factors).
Then there are The Rude Drivers. Those who think 80 mph is a might slow. And they are not afraid to show their displeasure to those traveling at safer, albeit still high, speeds.
So it was I found myself, passing a string of trucks, when The Rude Driver swooped up right behind me and flashed his brights. Sure, there was a little space between the first two trucks in the long line of 18-wheelers, but TRD was so, well, rude.
I’ll just pass the truck at the front, I thought, then I’ll move over for TRD. He’ll just have to be patient.
And so I did. I passed that first truck in line.
And my exit.
It is in moments like these that God works on my heart.
First, we laughed. And, as I drove that extra two miles to the next exit, I first thought “If only I’d been less stubborn, and let TRD pass, I would not have missed my exit.”
Then, as my exit approached, the gentle reproachment from God occurred. “And he was just rude,” He said, “not your enemy.”
Through teary eyes I humbled myself before my God and creator, asking His forgiveness for my pride and stubbornness. He had sacrificed Himself for me, His enemy. Just by being in my sinful state I was shaking my fist at God, defying Him, denouncing Him. In that fullness of time Jesus took the full brunt of the Father’s righteous fury upon Himself, redeeming me.
And I couldn’t yield the right of way to someone who was merely in a hurry.
How far short of the mark I had fallen.
As we go out this day into the mission field, we often look for opportunities to help the unfortunate. But sometimes God calls us to humble ourselves in reminder — if only to ourselves — of His great sacrifice. Let’s live out that we understand this grace God bestowed upon us undeserving sinners and seek opportunities to show kindness and compassion even to those who don’t really deserve it.
After all, we didn’t deserve God’s mercy, either. It was freely and lavishly given.