Guilty

It was Election Day and I was waiting for my son to get out of school. My habit was to go early to get a good parking space to avoid the crazy traffic jams that appear right at the ringing of the dismissal bell. Since the school was being used as a polling place that day, I knew the parking would be horrendous, so when I saw the spot at the loading zone open, I pulled right in.

Lots of parents park in this area to wait for their child. Even with a sign that says, “Loading Zone. No Parking,” no one has ever said anything, including the campus policeman. So I was rather surprised when a new officer pulled up, lights flashing, and stepped up to my window and told me to not go anywhere because I was going to receive a ticket. I started to state my case, but then I realized I had no excuses. I was caught red-handed. I was guilty, especially since I was parked right in front of the sign.

To make a long story short, I didn’t end up getting a ticket. A set of circumstances gave me a bit of mercy, but I did receive a very strict warning. I will definitely not park there again.

This incident reminds me of God’s laws. How often do we disobey His word because we haven’t gotten caught? Do we lie to get out of a situation? Are we in a compromising situation with someone? Are we taking home company merchandise even though it doesn’t belong to us? Are we cheating on our taxes? Since we haven’t gotten caught, we think it’s okay to continue in these actions. Because we tend to follow the world’s trends, we think God’s laws aren’t relevant for today. But we need to realize that God doesn’t change. What He has called wrong in the past is still wrong today. Our sins are still against God’s law. We are guilty. God sees everything. We are caught red-handed.

Thankfully, God wants to grant us forgiveness. He wants to restore us to a proper relationship with Him since our sins create a rift between us. But first we have to acknowledge our sins, say we are sorry, and then ask God to forgive us. Sometimes it’s hard to admit we are wrong. However, if we don’t, we will definitely suffer consequences for our actions.

Are you guilty? God wants restoration. He wants to forgive. Go to Him. He will grant forgiveness to all who ask.