Lesson from Traffic Light

Yesterday was a busy day for me. After all my official works and personal time of reading the Bible, I visited a new brother who took me to a place where I spent about two hours fellowshipping on the family of three new ones concerning God's purpose in the creation of man and the significances of baptism. 

When I came back home I needed to pick up my wife and some other sisters who attended the teenagers' training in New Delhi. Deep within me, I wish I could avoid all these outward pickings and droppings as I had other things to do. But my sense of responsibility could not be neglected. Therefore I went to pick up the sisters.

When I picked them up at a metro station, I had a plan of dropping each one of them in sequence. But when one sister suggested something different, I dropped my plan and followed the suggestion. While I was driving them, at Bristol Chowk junction, Sikanderpur, I drove through an amber light which was a sign of warning. Yet when I just crossed the traffic point I was stopped by the traffic police for an alleged violation of the traffic light. 

I stopped the car at the police's commanded and handed my driving license to the officer at his request. I explained my action to the officer that it was an amber light and not red light. But he would not pay heed to my version and threatened me with the suspension of my driving license for three months. It was at that moment I learned the practical lesson of just standing still and turning to the spirit to seek the Lord's wisdom in dealing with the situation. On the roadside, I was made to wait for about an hour as the traffic police were busy with other vehicles that broke the rules. I waited and waited and looked to the Lord on how to handle the present situation I was put into.

In principle, I would not resort to something unrighteous. If I truly committed the offense I was willing to pay the penalty for it whatever the cost. I, therefore, took time to browse the web on my mobile searching for people's comments on such situations. I also went through the government traffic rules.  My case was not a red light jumping which I would not do with all good conscience. But it was an amber light for warning which according to my knowledge of the rule is a warning that I should slow down or pass through depending on the congestion on the road. There were comments online that amber light is not a red light therefore depending on the officer in charge, he can either penalize me or let me go. I simply gave myself to the Lord in prayer and to the police. I surely do respect them as a man, myself, learning to live under the authority of God in the kingdom of God. 

When the two officers on duty finally came to deal with my case, I asked them, "Sir, tell me what must I do now that you charged me with a traffic violation when it was an amber light?" They replied that I shall be charged Rs. 5,000 and my driving license suspension for three months. If that is the righteous judgment of the authority I was willing to comply with it.  Then I told them that I did not have cash at the moment and requested if I could pay by a card or via digital payment, but they insisted that I should pay only by cash. I had no choice. I checked with the sisters in the car if anyone had Rs. 5,000 in cash at hand. Then one sister had Rs. 4,000. I took that with a promise to return and tried to collect more from others. Then the police officer changed his mind and interrogated me further.

He asked for my name, occupation, and residence. Without any tension, with calmness, I answered their queries. Then, they themselves changed their mind and said they would not charge me with the purported offense they accused me with initially. They toned down their voices and said, "Sir, you have a family. We don't feel good for your family to stay in the car and trouble them for this. We will still charge you with a traffic rule violation, genuine challan issued in your name, and pay Rs. 1000. We are not doing anything further." I simply said, 'Thank you, Sir!"

I was issued a challan for Rs. 1000 with a printed receipt, then they returned back my driving license, and showed me on their system that they only charged me for the seat belt. I paid the fine and drove off to drop the sisters at two different locations. 

I believe there are lessons the Lord wanted me to learn from this incident. From my side, concerning finance and learning to follow what I had originally planned in dropping the sisters. From the sister's side too, I believe they should learn not to give too much opinion.

In all these, the Lord is sovereign. This transpired when I have been dealing with new ones, leading them to the Lord, and when my wife told me our daughter wanted to be baptized. For sure, the enemy's threatening hand too was involved. But trusting in the Lord, with all boldness and a good and clean conscience, we move on. This is a lesson from a traffic light.