Lessons on unmerited favor...from a traffic cop!

So today I was in a BIG HURRY. I had bread to bake for a confirmation illustration, youth program stuff to set up, and a trip to Grand Forks to make to do a hospital visit and some quick shopping. I was racing through one of the small towns on the way to Grand Forks today, and really preoccupied with the busyness of my day. How was I going to fit everything in? Before I knew it, I had hit a lower speed zone and then another...and I was noticing the changing speed limit late. I was about to call one of the church secretaries on my cell phone when I realized that a police car was behind me with flashing lights.

Now. You have to understand. I pride myself on my safe driving. My flawless driving record. I have huge disdain for bad drivers. I really look down my nose on them, to be honest. And I have never been stopped by a traffic cop, since I got my driver's license (almost 10 years of record-free driving). So, I was a little shaken. Which might be why when I stopped the car and put it in what I thought was Park, I really put it in Reverse. As in, heading straight for the traffic cop who was obviously already stopping me for a violation. He honked his horn at me, and I got stopped just in time, vigorously waving my hands to show that it was an accident. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

He told me that I had been going quite significantly over the speed limit, and he had been trying to get me to slow down, but I was still going over. Plus I almost backed into him. I must have looked pretty shaken up...Ok, I was literally shaking, trying to find all my paperwork, and so on. He could have thrown the book at me. I mean, I was really speeding, and I almost ran into his car.

But instead, he was merciful. He saw I was shaken up. When I was getting my paperwork out of the glove compartment and trying to sift through it to find my registration, he said, "Looks like you're like everybody else, with lots of papers in there." And then he pointed out my registration for me, which I was having trouble finding. He took my license and registration, saying, "I'll run these. Why don't you try to find your insurance card while I'm doing that?" Thank goodness. It took me several minutes to find it, in my nervousness. I was sure I was getting a ticket. Maybe even a really, really big ticket, given what I'd done. And I deserved it too. But then he came back and said, "No citation today, just a warning. Buckle up and slow down." He was so nice about it. I couldn't believe it! What a picture of unmerited favor...or grace! The policeman who stopped me for a violation actually ministered to me! Who would have thought it?

Reminds me of what Jesus did for me...