Police Lights

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:1-4 ESV).

Yep, that was the image in my rearview mirror last night around 10 pm. I had gone to the bank to make a deposit at the last minute since we had been visiting with the kids for Mary’s birthday and was nearly home. We live in the country. So, as I turned on the county road that leads to the entrance to our little subdivision it was a big surprise to see the flashing lights. It is a very narrow road and I thought I would slowly go to a place where I could pull off the road. There isn’t a shoulder of any kind on this road. I was going about 10 mph as I didn’t want to give the impression I was “running” from the stop. However, he hit the siren and I knew I’d better stop immediately regardless. I pulled to the right as far as possible and waited for the sheriff’s deputy to approach. I had already gotten my driver’s license and License to Carry ID out for him. I rolled the window down and he politely asked for my identification. He saw the LTC and asked if I had my weapon in the car to which I simply answered “No sir.” I was still baffled as to why he stopped me. I knew I wasn’t speeding. He looked at my address and asked if I was on my way home. I said I was and he said, “Well, the reason I stopped you is because you have a license plate light out.” I must admit I probably wasn’t as courteous as I could have been. I said, “Really?” Then he retreated to his patrol car and checked my information. Not being a fleeing felon, I suppose he was a bit more relaxed when he came back the second time. He informed me he wasn’t going to give me a ticket, and the real reason he stopped me was that I was driving such an old car that he was checking to see if I was someone casing the neighborhood to break into a house! I do drive a 2003 Tahoe. It is old, but very serviceable. He apologized a bit and told me to get the light fixed, which was out, and then we had a nice chat for a few minutes. He went on his way, I went on home. That reminded me of our reading today. The Apostle Paul was very careful to state his identity clearly at the outset of his letter to the Corinthians. He wanted no misunderstandings over that. Sometimes I think we forget that our identity is not determined by degrees or positions; it is not gender based; it is solely based on the relationship we have with Christ. That’s the ID that really counts! What’s yours say?