During My Commute

I have about a 30 minute commute to work, which makes about an hour that I spend in the car every day I go into the office -- if traffic is good, anyways. As many of you probably know, there is a bit of construction going on with I-15 in Utah County, so the speed limit is 10 mph lower than it normally is. Of course, that doesn't seem to stop very many people from going their previous speed. But with speeding tickets so high, it seems most slow down. Although, in some cases, if a vehicle drives past and is already going that speed... well, it would seem that the cop would get them first, so they go that fast too.

I was imagining what would happen if a highway patrolman pulled over the second car -- the one following the original speeding trespasser. They would probably be outraged that the cop didn't pull over the first driver, right? Well, I know that I would. Maybe I've gotten the wrong mentality, being on the wrong for so long. But ultimately, the speed limit is the same for everyone, and just because someone else goes fast doesn't give others permission.

But then I thought... perhaps the cop would be doing the second driver a favor. I know I got a stern look from a cop once and I've been a bit slower and safer ever since. Maybe a speeding ticket would be a pain in the wallet, but if it makes the driver slow down, then it's all the better. And perhaps the first driver is beyond saving. Maybe they'll keep driving way too fast until they end up killing someone. And then no amount of slow driving will compensate.

I think the Lord sometimes works in the same way. We may ask, as did Job, "Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?" It seems that the Lord sometimes chastises us when others are running amok completely unchecked. It might not seem unfair... after all, wasn't the other driver speeding first? But a little chastisement can help us stay on the path we should. Indeed, we should be grateful that the Lord chastises us, for perhaps He is saving us from recklessly driving too fast until we crash or hit someone.

"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." - Hebrews 12:6