Ugh! I got a speeding ticket today! I haven’t gotten a ticket in YEARS (like 10, probably)! This sucks. We’ve already been stressing a bit about money, since we’re now paying rent plus our mortgage payment on the house we can’t seem to sell in Tennessee. And now this! I cried…and not to try to get out of it…I mean, I sobbed like a baby fighting sleep. It was embarrassing. I can’t believe I was even speeding. Apparently the speed limit was 25…and I was going a bit more than that. The police officer was on foot (no, seriously), with his motorcycle parked in a store’s lot alongside the road. He walked out into the road in front of me and waved me over! I didn’t even realize he was a cop at first. He just looked like some crazy dude dressed all in black wandering recklessly in the middle of a four-lane. Thankfully, he was really nice to me, but I still got the ticket!
So that was the wonderful start to my day, as it happened on my way to teach my classes at UALR. Then, a couple of hours later, after one of my classes, a student was complaining about how she’s so stressed: this economy is wreaking havoc on her salon business; she’s pregnant; and she’s currently failing the course because she’s so behind on her work. I felt compelled to tell her about my ticket fiasco. I think it’s amazing how God gives us grace in the moment sometimes. Without even really realizing what I was saying, I told her that two main things “get me by” every day: (1) there’s also going to be something that, if you let it, will bring you down; and (2) God has blessed me in so many amazing ways, who am I to complain about one ticket. So, this means, I’ll probably just bite the bullet and pay the ticket … the trade-off will probably mean no sweet teas from Sonic for a few months. Double ugh!! But, oh well, in the grand scheme of things … it really is a wonderful life. So, dear God, when I’m writing out and mailing that check, please give me the grace (and wisdom) to hold my tongue and praise You!