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Thursday, December 20, 2007

Miracle on Hwy 117

Don't ever let anyone tell you a Preacher's Wife is above the law. She may be outrunning it to the tune of 73 mph in a 55 mph zone, but eventually that long arm stretches out and snaps her back.

And it's awfully embarrassing.

Yes, I got pulled over by the state trooper this week while running late to my son's field trip. (Can you hear my husband saying, 'Imagine that?' Oh, he's such a smart aleck! :) It was quite a paradoxical moment - the cop stalking his prey and the prey praying, "Jesus, help me! You know I can't afford a speeding ticket at Christmas!"

My being stopped for bending the speed limit was eventually going to happen. I just really hate it happened in my small town in front of our local attorney whose parents go to our church. I went ahead and waved at him while the cop was following me with the blue lights blazing to get it out of the way. No use acting like he didn't see me or vice versa. Besides that, it was possible I may need his services to get me out of the pokey.


Anyway, here's the cool part.

The policeman eventually stopped me on a side street and approached the car. I was trying to work up a good cry but my aggravation over being late for the field trip far outweighed my self-pity. Besides, I could tell this dude meant business and no amount of snot-slinging was going to get me out of this one. I rolled down the window and he said, in a deep manly voice, "How are you today, ma'am?"

Me: "Umm. Not so great?"

Him: "Well you are better than you think."

Me: "Why's that?"

Him: "I don't exactly know what happened but as soon as I clocked you speeding, my equipment went haywire. Policy says I can't write you a ticket if my equipment is malfunctioning."

Me: "Well, then, praise the Lord! All those 'Help Me, Jesus' prayers I said when I flew past you must have really helped!"

Him (Not appearing amused): "He may have helped you but now I have to spend the rest of the day figuring out what is wrong with my equipment. You can go but SLOW. IT. DOWN."

And you can not imagine the relief that flooded over me. I turned around in a driveway and had to pass the policeman again. He flashed his lights and motioned me to stop. When I rolled down my window he said, "You aren't going to believe this, but my equipment is working perfectly fine now. I don't know what's going on. This has never happened before!"

Me (looking amused): Well, I guess Jesus really does love me then!

Him: Well, He must not love me. He just ruined my stop.

Me: Oh, yeah. He loves you, too.

And when I drove away, I kicked myself for not adding, "And maybe He caused all this just to tell you."

And isn't that what a miracle is? God's way of pulling us over from the rush of our everyday to say, "Wow! Jesus really does love me!" It's the child getting a bag full of toys when he was expecting none. The grieving mom discovering she made it through one more day without her son. The shepherd 2000 years ago receiving the greatest birth announcement ever proclaimed.

And a woman like me receiving much more grace than she deserves.

Yes, Jesus does love me. And He loves you, too. Sometimes, we just need to be reminded His favor rests on us.

And maybe He pulled me over so I would make a point to tell you.





"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
Luke 2:14


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24 Comments:

Blogger Bev Brandon @ The Fray said...

Wow. A ticket the week before Christmas could have been costly. God is in your details. We were stopped on way home from Beth Moore's Tuesday night study and the officer wanted to know if we had been drinking. LOL. No! We've just been with Jesus!

December 19, 2007 at 12:13 AM  
Blogger Denise said...

You made me smile, now slow down you little speed racer, lol

December 19, 2007 at 12:34 AM  
Blogger Mindy said...

Well! Guess that reminds me to start praying the next time I get stopped. Cause I was so made the last time I got stopped (IN A SCHOOL ZONE 43 in a 25 that had just gone to 25 instead of 35 like 2 minutes before that) I didn't pray and the cop was mean and his equipment DIDN'T malfunction.
Good for you though!

December 19, 2007 at 5:38 AM  
Blogger Praise and Coffee said...

Lisa,
Oh my goodness! What a story- and these kind of things always happen to you don't they?!
Very cool.

I love the way you write, you are a blessing and such a hoot!

Love ya,
Sue

December 19, 2007 at 5:44 AM  
Blogger Janis Rodgers said...

Isn't God good? This was just beautiful, Lisa. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas! Love you, my friend!

December 19, 2007 at 7:03 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

December 19, 2007 at 7:12 AM  
Blogger Kelly @ Love Well said...

Lisa, you are a master writer. You had me rolling. What a funny story.

And to the anonymous commenter before me, I'm pretty sure Lisa already thought of that. So don't feel like you need to beat a sister over the head. God usually speaks loud enough to those listening for His voice without needing human amplification.

December 19, 2007 at 10:13 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love it. Thanks for a smile and for reminding all of us that God loves us. More than we know. And vastly more than we deserve.

You, dear cyber-friend, are a blessing to us all!!

December 19, 2007 at 10:44 AM  
Blogger Darlene Schacht said...

As always, a smile with a reminder of God's wonderful grace. I love your writing!

December 19, 2007 at 11:02 AM  
Blogger Joyce said...

What an awsome God we have. A wake up call with a touch of grace on the side and a kind word to a policeman.

December 19, 2007 at 11:08 AM  
Blogger Heather said...

The interesting part of the story isn't just that God showered you with His grace (although that IS awesome), but that you got to see it from the cop's point of view too. It wasn't so great for him to see you let off the hook, but maybe he needed a lesson in grace too.

December 19, 2007 at 1:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for sharing - I really enjoyed your post!
Blessings,
Mary
hoganfe handbags

December 19, 2007 at 2:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a hoot! Thanks for letting us in on the whole thing. God is so gracious - even when we haven't earned it. The perfect Father! Thank You Lord for the unexpected blessings!
You are a scream, Girl :)

December 19, 2007 at 3:18 PM  
Blogger marina said...

Lisa, he really does hear us when we say "HELP ME JESUS" his grace was on you and gave you favor ,however I can't help to think that maybe that policmen need to hear that too..I think it was for the both of you. I know you where bless I hope he was too.
Maybe he has never been told that.
blessing,marina

December 19, 2007 at 6:09 PM  
Blogger Brenda said...

Love the story! I think we all have little miracles in our lives, that we don't even realize until we stop and count.

December 19, 2007 at 6:12 PM  
Blogger Rebecca E. Parsons/Cre8Tiva said...

i laughed...i cried...thank heaven for the cop who taught us all a lesson...i needed to hear that God loves me today...thank you...blessings, rebecca

December 19, 2007 at 7:34 PM  
Blogger A Stone Gatherer said...

What a great reminder! Glad it worked out for you this time! My last ticket God chose to humble me, by making me pay : - )

December 19, 2007 at 8:10 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Lisa, What a great story. And, I love you too. BTW, I am a lead-foot as well. Yikes.

Merry Christmas my Sister, Lynn

December 19, 2007 at 8:14 PM  
Blogger Amico Dio said...

Oh Lisa, you have a way with words and I love your stories and how you see God's hand in everything. I love it! Wonderful post!

December 19, 2007 at 10:39 PM  
Blogger Chris @ Come to the Table said...

Great post Lisa!

Loved it!

December 19, 2007 at 11:30 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

December 20, 2007 at 8:25 AM  
Blogger Lisa @ The Preacher's Wife said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

December 20, 2007 at 8:49 AM  
Blogger Darlene Schacht said...

Sorry Lisa, I deleted the anonymous comments before I realized that you had posted yours. While we appreciate feedback, I feel that correction should not be annonymous, nor should it be dealt with in a comment box. Should anyone have an issue with a post, they should contact the writer directly.

The purpose of CWO is to unite women of faith, not to divide by disecting our words. Yes, there is definitely a place and a purpose for correction--absolutely, but the comment box is not an appropriate place for it. At least not here.

The comments are to connect one another in fellowship and to offer encouragement to each other.

Should anyone have an issue, please contact Lisa or myself directly, and we will carefully consider your thoughts. Thank you!

December 20, 2007 at 1:17 PM  
Blogger 2nd Cup of Coffee said...

This sounds amazingly like a Bible story to me, set in modern times. Full of irony, mystery, grace ... why can't I have these experiences? Uh-without the cop part!

December 20, 2007 at 8:54 PM  

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