I Learned Something, Mr. Police Officer

In honor of our sermon series, I got pulled over by the police yesterday. Not the band The Police though, but the Bee Cave police department. We were headed out to camp and I noticed there was a green light ahead. In addition to snakes, I also dislike red lights, so I put my foot down in attempt to catch the green light (Reminder: I hate snakes more). I had no good reason to be speeding, so I deserved whatever ticket the officer was about to give me. Something good did come out of the situation; being stopped was an opportunity for me to learn something. Ok, so I haven’t learned to stop speeding yet, but hopefully that will come soon.

What I did learn is you don’t have to be rude to the officer. I am notorious for being rude to police officers when I get pulled over (sorry Steve, love you bro). Its not that I always think that I am innocent because 9 times out of 10 I am guilty, but sometimes I just don’t like the officers attitude so I tend to respond rudely back (this probably could have led to my arrest on more than one occasion, but thankfully I have not been arrested). I am throwing the rudeness out the window and replacing it with respect for the boys in blue from now on.

As the officer approached I left my hands on the wheel in order to allow the officer to see my hands. The officer introduced himself and asked if I knew why I was being pulled over, and I replied, “I was speeding.” He followed procedure and asked for my license and insurance. I used kind, respectful words like, “yes sir,” “no sir,” and “I’m sorry, officer.” He checked out the information and I continued to be kind and respectful towards him. If fact, I had no urge or tendency to be rude to him (that was a first). He graciously gave me back my license and said, “slow down and have a good day.” No ticket! I was shocked and amazed that the officer showed me grace.

Not only did I get a wake up call on my attitude towards police officers, but also received a wonderful picture of grace. To think, the officer overlooked my mistake, my violation of the law and prevented me from paying for a possible $150 ticket. God offers redemption from not just one mistake, but all of them. Through his son Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven and rescued from eternal separation from God. How awesome is that! If you haven’t experienced the grace of God and or have questions, drop me a line jeremyhellums@gmail.com

Have a blessed week, talk to you folks soon. God Bless you.