More about the accident I told you about in the previous post.
I’d like to finish the story about my accident—the one I mentioned in my previous post.
Back to the scene of the accident: The first highway patrolman, who started pursuing the person who almost hit me, never got a chance to catch them. He heard the crash, turned around at his next available pass-through, and came back to check on us to make sure we were both okay (which we were). More police officers showed up very quickly. It was the second cop who recorded all our statements, including what the first officer had to say, and ultimately gave us both tickets.
I didn’t get mad or say derogatory things to him; I just told my story as best I could. When I looked at all the factors that contributed to the accident, I realized I was legally at fault: I failed to yield the right-of-way and did not obey the law. And that was that.
I had two options with my ticket: I could pay the fine and let the accident stay on my driving record for a long time, or I could take a driver safety course. I opted for the class.
Juggling Life's Crises
Here I was in Tyler at my brother’s house, 240 miles from home, constantly praying for help with the many difficult decisions we needed to make regarding Mom—and now I needed to figure out how to get another vehicle. It just so happened that my brother had a spare car for me to use until I sorted things out.
One thing I want to mention about Mom’s passing: she always said that when it was her time, she didn’t want to suffer long with pain. I truly believe the Lord kept her from that. Only once did I hear Mom complain of pain, and that was near the very end. Mom was diagnosed on November 14, 2013, and she passed away on February 1, 2014—not quite the couple of weeks she was originally given.
The timeline of those intense few weeks unfolded like this:
- January 27: The accident occurred.
- January 30: The insurance company totaled my truck.
- January 31: I bought a new truck there in Tyler.
- February 1: Mom passed away.
I returned home and we started making preparations for Mom’s funeral, which included moving her body from Tyler to Moulton, 260 miles away.
Facing the Judge
There were so many things to deal with after Mom’s passing—obtaining death certificates, navigating probate court, deciding what to do with all her belongings, and so on. In the middle of all that grief and administrative work, I completely forgot about the driver safety class.
Eventually, I received a letter from the Municipal Court in Troup, Texas, with a deadline to complete the course and send back proof. This first letter arrived at my home address about a week or two after the accident, right in the thick of our family's post-loss arrangements. I took care of the two most urgent things immediately, but mistakenly thought the document said I had six months to submit the course completion, so I pushed it to the back of my mind.
After a couple of months, I received a second letter ordering me to appear before the judge for failing to show evidence of completion. I searched everywhere for the original document to check the deadline, but couldn't find it. Even so, I went ahead and completed the course, bringing my certificate with me to see the judge.
I arrived early, spoke first with the court clerk, and handed her the verification document. She directed me into the courtroom. It wasn't at all what I expected—very small, with just a couple of rows of folding chairs facing the judge’s bench. I was the first one there, and soon another person joined me.
The judge entered wearing everyday street clothes. There were no formal announcements; he simply got right down to business. The other man spoke with the judge first, and once that was finished, it was my turn. I stepped up to the bench, waited for him to review the charges, and then he started questioning me.
When he saw the completion certificate, he asked why I hadn't finished the course on time. I explained everything that was happening with our mom during that period. After asking a few more questions, he delivered his judgment: he dismissed the charges entirely and had the accident erased from my record.
You can imagine my relief and joy. He had every legal right to penalize me, but because of his kindness and compassion, he pardoned me instead.
Human Justice vs. Divine Grace
I tend to think that humanity often judges strictly by the letter of the law. By that standard, if you disobey a law, there are no excuses, and judges can only rule based on the visible evidence presented to them.
With God, however, it is entirely different. His judgment is certain and perfectly true because He knows everything about each of us down to our very thoughts. Who is better qualified to judge than God Himself?
By His standard, God has already rightly judged me guilty of disobeying His laws, and the rightful punishment is death. My life story—and yours—has already been written in His books, as He knows everything even before it happens.
What is truly amazing and beyond words is this: His Son, His only begotten Son who knew no sin, took my place to receive that punishment. God didn't just pardon me; He took my place. And He didn't do it just for me—He did it for the whole world. He died so that we could live. How can anyone imagine a God of greater loving-kindness and compassion?
John 12:44–50 (CJB)
44 Yeshua declared publicly, “Those who put their trust in me are trusting not merely in me, but in the One who sent me. 45 Also those who see me see the One who sent me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who trusts in me might not remain in the dark. 47 If anyone hears what I am saying and does not observe it, I don’t judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 Those who reject me and don’t accept what I say have a judge — the word which I have spoken will judge them on the Last Day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own initiative, but the Father who sent me has given me a command, namely, what to say and how to say it. 50 And I know that his command is eternal life. So what I say is simply what the Father has told me to say.”
• Unity Series — When We Judge Without Seeing the Whole Story
• God’s Day of Judgment and Mercy
