Speed Trap
Do you know what a “speed trap” is? Just so we can all be on the same page (or road), let me ‘splain it to you, Lucy.
Wherever you are in the world, if you have an automobile and go anywhere, I’m sure you’ve experienced a speed limit. Somewhere, usually in a visible place beside the roadway, there will be a sign on which is written the speed limit for that stretch of road.
Tracking with me so far?
However, sometimes you will come upon a stretch of road where the speed limit changes abruptly. That’s not unreasonable, especially when conditions demand it.
But when a wide stretch of interstate goes down from 65 or 70mph to 50mph without warning or graduation, THAT’S the definition of a speed trap. And that’s typically where a policeman or state trooper will park their cars and wait for unsuspecting motorists.
Caught In the Trap
You know where this is going, don’t you? Yep, I got caught in a speed trap last week.
It all happened on a stretch of interstate highway I75 in Tennessee, just above the border with Georgia. Come to find out, about a quarter mile into Tennessee, the speed limit drops to 50mph.
Yes, 50mph. On an interstate!
It’s a trap because, yes, there are posted signs, but that kind of speed is so unusual on that kind of roadway, when you see them, your brain ignores them! At best, a quick-thinking brain has to go through extra cognitive steps to process it.
Do you know how fast people here in the South drive on highways through Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee? No? We don’t either!
The way to stay alive when driving through downtown Atlanta or Nashville, for example, is NOT to obey the posted speed limit. If you do, you’ll likely cause an accident, shut down the highway, and be hated for eternity. NO, you go with the flow of traffic, just like all the other speeders.
So, when I was going from Georgia to Tennessee on I75, I wasn’t really paying attention to the exact speed limit. However, I didn’t think for a moment I was exceeding what was a safe speed – it’s what everyone else was doing.
How fast was I going? More than 50, allegedly.
Legal Help Needed
That’s why I need a lawyer. That’s why I need someone to represent me, to go with me, to stand before the judge in front of me. I need a defender, one who argues my case on my behalf, so that the full weight of the law is not dropped on my head.
Fact is I may have broken the law. The consequences of my alleged offense could be serious should the judge show no mercy.
But if someone comes along on my behalf, someone known and respected by the Court, and that person manages to convince the judge to find a way to avoid serious consequences, I might only receive a small fine, if found guilty, and a warning.
But it won’t be free. Legal help can get expensive. However, the long-term effects of a big speeding ticket could cost a lot more.
My Greatest Defender
What really brought me to the computer, though, was not a grievance—it was gratefulness.
Here I am facing a potential fine and points on my driving record (as of now I have none). And because of the points there could be other ramifications. But all that being said, at least I know I’m not going to Hell.
That’s right! No eternal damnation for me! How’s that, you ask? Because I have the greatest defense Attorney in the entire universe!
Jesus! (see 1 John 2:1-2)
He is like no other!
For one thing, Jesus knows my whole story. He knows me like no other. But more than that, He knows the Judge. They are actually just alike 😉
Secondly, unlike the lawyer I am going to hire, Jesus paid the price, the debt I owed for my transgressions. He doesn’t negotiate a lower fine; He paid the highest fine possible!
What we read in 1 John 1:2 is that Jesus became the “propitiation” for my sin. In other words, He didn’t just pay my fine and accept my punishment, He literally was the payment!
And you know the greatest part of all?
He did the same for you, too!
1 John 2:2 (KJV) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.
Oh, and unlike the lawyer that hopefully will handle my case, we don’t have to pay Jesus for his services—it’s a gift by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9).
Even His retainer is good for eternity.
The Recovering Legalist 