A couple years ago I went on a missions trip to Honduras, and I learned very quickly that there are no rules when it comes to driving, or at least it seemed. What side of the road you drive on is more of an option, and I guess you don’t have to stop at stop signs if you don’t feel like it. It was chaotic, to say the least, but over the course of the week we were there we surprisingly only saw one accident. I’m just glad I didn’t have to be the one driving. This missions trip put traffic laws into a whole new perspective for me! Did this stop me from speeding? Well…

“Do you know why I pulled you over?”

“Well of course not, Officer”

One evening a few months ago, while working third shift, I was on my way back from a three-hour (one way) trip to Cleveland. Well, on my way back, Michael Jackson came on the radio, and if you know me at all, you know I do not jam to anyone like I jam to Michael Jackson. Long story short, I ended up with a $130 speeding ticket. All I could think was, “Come on, Officer, it’s three o’clock in the morning, and I’ve been driving for four hours straight. If you only knew what my night has been like, and…it’s Michael Jackson!” But knowing that all he was concerned about was keeping the roads safe, I kept my guilty mouth shut.

Something dawned on me a while ago while I was still sulking over having to pay this ticket. Traffic laws aren’t put in place to ruin our fun; they are put in place to keep us and everyone around us as safe as possible. And a lot of times I look at God like that, like He just puts all of these “rules” in place so we just don’t ever have any fun. Sometimes thoughts run through my head like, “Man I really wish I could be doing this, or doing that, it looks like so much fun.” But God often checks me and opens my eyes to the real reason there are things on this earth I should not be involved in. Number one, 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” So everything I am doing should be honoring to God. We should not only honor Him but we should want to honor Him in every part of our lives for everything that He has done for us, everything He is doing for us, and everything He will do for us. And number two, the stuff that looks glamorous, or fun, or rewarding, never really is in the end.

God knows exactly what is best for us, and following God’s will in our lives will save us a lot of hurt. Just like we have roads, traffic lights, and road signs to guide us along the way and keep us as safe as possible, God has given us the Bible and His Holy Spirit, among other things. These all guide us along the way — not to ruin our fun, but to keep us on the path to Heaven and keep us safe while doing it. He is only trying to protect us from harm, like any good father would do. But He is not just any father, He is the best Father.