Confession. I have a lead foot, so driving the speed limit
is difficult. I was issued a warning four years ago, but I'm happy to announce
I don't remember the last time I was issued a speeding ticket. Good for
me? Not really. Driving with kids, a
cruise control that I use even around town and the fact that I've been
extremely conscientious about traffic laws for the last two decades helps, but
the truth is that I simply haven't been CAUGHT.
Why is driving the speed limit so difficult? With help from a City of Anderson patrol
officer, Sergeant Vincent Smith, I
discovered it's all about control. He
hears often what I think every time I look at my speedometer. I
didn't realize I was going that fast.
Control. Before I know it, I've
lost it.
Sergeant Smith also hears, I was passing another car. That's an interesting excuse since there's
nothing telling us we can disregard traffic laws to pass another car. He shared a few excuses that somehow put the
blame on something else other than the driver.
New or oversize tires caused my
speedometer to read wrong. Not my fault. There's no way I can speed going uphill. I'm right, you're wrong.
And then, there's this excuse, I was going downhill which caused my car to speed up. Of course the
vehicle speeds up. Running, walking,
bicycling, or driving, YES, we go faster and faster downhill, don't we? And without control, we continue.
There are speeding laws and consequences for breaking those
laws. What does speeding in the City of
Anderson cost? The minimum fine is $81.87 with 2 points. The maximum fine is $440 and 6 points. OUCH, not only are the fines costly that one
time, but the points on a driver's license can cost months or maybe a few years
of insurance payments. That's reason
enough to exercise control.
But, here's a better reason and a more serious consequence. I asked Sergeant Smith, "Why do you
believe it's important to obey traffic speed limits?" His response was direct and simple.
"Speeding and disobeying signs and signals causes bad accidents." Sometimes we recover from those accidents, and
sometimes we don't.
In my opinion, gossip is the easiest sin not only because everyone does it but also because it's the
most difficult to control. I'm
innocently talking to friends, family or co-workers about something entirely
relevant. And before I know it, gossip. And the more I talk and the more others
respond, I'm speeding downhill, completely out of control heading for an
accident.
And there's a price to pay. I know because it happened: hurt
feelings, lost trust and cautious relationships. But what if we're not caught? Big deal? Does
it hurt others? Yes, it does. Through gossip, we change someone's view of
another person. What if we share
completely irrelevant information that happened long ago, does it hurt us? Is there a price?
Worthless. Other
translations for what happens to my religion: futile, isn't worth much, vain.
Blaming my mouth on others is as useless as blaming my lead
foot on other drivers. When was the last
time you drove the speed limit on the interstate while dozens of cars sped by? As
soon as we think, "Oh well, I might as well step on it, too," we give
up control. The price of a ticket or an
accident is the same whether it was our idea or theirs.
Other than my kids, cruise control has been helpful to me as
a confessed lead foot. What about my
motor mouth? A Facebook friend shared
another verse last week.
"Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more
godless behavior." 2 Timothy 2:16
Those are good verses to memorize. Maybe we can lock them in and set our cruise
control. Or maybe, we give the ultimate
control to God; after all, self-control is a part of His fruit.
Whether it's a lead foot or a motor mouth or both, there's a
price to pay.
Be safe,
Katy
