Pull Over

A man was driving in a quiet town late at night trying to get home. He was very tired, and he did not realize that he was going too fast. That is until, he saw a policeman coming his direction. When he looked down at his speedometer, it read over 50 mph, and the speed limit was 35 mph. So he pulled over immediately. Seconds later, the policeman turned his lights on and turned around and parked behind him.

When the policeman got to the man's window, he said, "This may be the easiest traffic stop I have ever had. You pulled yourself over before I even turned on my lights." The man and the policeman talked for a few minutes. He was given a warning and drove home without any further delay.

This is a true story. It is not written to give you a pointer on how to get out of a speeding ticket. Rather, it is a reminder that it is a good idea to admit when you are wrong. We do not like to plead guilty. Rarely has a driver ever felt he was the one in the wrong when given a ticket. Certainly there are times when we are falsely accused, or unfairly treated. But the majority of the time, if we are disciplined by those authorities that exist in our lives, we had it coming.

So...

When you have a bad attitude, PULL OVER. Count to ten and get yourself together. Don't run from the truth, but realize that you need to calm down and show some self-control and patience.

When you are going to fast, PULL OVER. Life needs to slow down a bit for many of us. When we are distracted and have things to do and places to go, we will look down and find ourselves at a rate of speed that we cannot handle. When we make too many promises and try to do to many things in one day, everybody is in jeopardy.

When you are guilty, PULL OVER. It takes a great deal of humility for people to turn themselves in. Admitting fault is the first step to overcoming any weakness. God will look upon us with mercy when our heart is saddened and in a state of repentance. "The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit." (Psalm 34:18).

Everybody needs to be disciplined. It is always better, when the discipline begins on our own.

"For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death." ~ 2 Corinthians 7:10