Grace Citation

I was running late. My husband left early. We volunteer to cook breakfast on Sunday mornings at church. My husband does most of the cooking. On Sunday, I opted to help by keeping the kids home and letting them sleep in. We had kept them up late the night before at the local, visiting carnival. I let the morning slip by. I was running late but I wasn't stressed about it. Tardiness isn't unusual for me. However, I was sure my husband was going stir crazy waiting for us.

With all 4 kids chattering away in the car, my thoughts were interrupted by a call from my husband. I answered the call. I told him I was on my way and would be there in a few minutes. Then, I hung up abruptly. My rear view mirror was yelling at me in colors of red and blue. I was being pulled over for talking on the phone while driving.

I pulled over and calmly explained to my questioning kids that I was going to get a ticket.

The officer approached and asked if I had any idea why he pulled me over. I told him that I was pretty sure I did. When he asked "Why?" I said "Because I was on my phone." He nodded. He asked me who I was talking to. I told him that I was talking to my husband, telling him I was on my way and almost there. He asked me where I was going.

Humbly I said, "Church."

He nodded and then asked for my licence, registration and proof of insurance. With lots of effort, I located my license, registration and insurance card. He took them and said he would be back.

I sat.
I waited.

I thought to myself: I should be thankful that he is doing his job. I should be thankful that he is keeping the streets safe. I know it isn't safe to talk and drive. I should be thankful. I should be thankful. I kept saying it to myself over and over.

My oldest asked, "How LONG does it take for him to write a ticket?"

After what felt like an eternity, the officer approached.

He said, "Ma'am, how long have you lived in Oregon?"

I thought, Oh Crap.

"A couple years." (As if saying 3 years would be worse.)

He told me that we were supposed to get Oregon tags 30 days after moving to Oregon. (This is something that my husband knows. This is just something he failed to do because Washington plates are cheaper.)

Then, he said, "Not only that, your tags expired in May."

I did not know that. Crap. Double Crap.

The officer told me that with charges for cell phone use while driving, expired tags, and failure to register my vehicle, my charges should be well over $500.

Should be.

And then, he said: "I am going to give you a warning on all three accounts. Get this taken care of right away. Consider this your lucky day."

I looked at him. My eyes locked with his. The moment was heavy.

I said, "Oh, thank you. Thank you very much."

Grace.

That's what's been on my mind all day. Do you know I felt relieved, overwhelmed, extremely thankful and in disbelief? I didn't deserve the grace. I deserved a rather large ticket.

Grace.

Hours later, I drove into my driveway. I noticed something stuck in my doorway. It was officer badge stickers, officer trading cards and the officer's business card with a hand written note: "For the Kiddos".

Grace: Doing what's not required for someone undeserving.

All day I've been stunned by the grace I received. I am full of gratitude. I am also hyper-aware of how much it affected me. This gift of grace had an impact on my whole day.

I couldn't help but remember: I am a child of grace.

I live my life believing I have been offered the greatest gift of grace possible. I am forgiven. I have received God's grace and gift of salvation. Grace is at the heart of my faith.

Too often, I forget that I have been given an amazing gift.

I am going to carry my warning ticket around with me long after my husband gets our tags registered in Oregon. It's a visual reminder of the feeling grace left me. It's a reminder that I am forgiven.