Free Courtesy Ticket

Last week I went shopping in Hastings. I had never been there despite its proximity to Grand Rapids. Driving through town for the first time, everyone in the car was taken with its charm and quaint appearance. We shopped a little, found a nice place to eat, shopped a little more, and just enjoyed having fun on a beautiful, cool, crisp fall day. Then we headed back to the car. I sat down behind the wheel and noticed a little yellow envelope tucked under my windshield wiper. You know the feeling you get in your stomach when you see flashing lights pulling up behind you or...you see the dreaded notice on your windshield. I grabbed it and read, "City of Hastings Police Department Parking Violation Ticket." I checked the sign on the curb thinking I had been quite careful where I parked and noticed a two hour limit posted. My heart sank. Then I read further. Everywhere there was a dollar sign to show amount owed, I saw, $0.00. Despite the fine chart on the back of this notice, I had no fine. I breathed a sigh of relief, thought about the leniency granted to me, and thanked the Lord for the gift. As I was thanking Him, I thought, "Wow. That's a lot like how I can feel every day when I feel the Lord's mercy and grace for all the 'illegal' things I commit in my sinful life." I felt extreme gratitude to the police in Hastings for the forgiven debt shown to me in my "Free Courtesy Ticket." How much more am I indebted to my Creator for the ever- present mercy He shows all the time! Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored. Receive His mercy and pass it on.
Barb