I had to go downtown yesterday to get my haircut. All the downtown parking spaces have parking meters. One quarter will buy you 30 minutes of parking.
As I was approaching the building that I needed to go into I noticed that all the parking spaces directly in front of the Salon were taken, so I quickly pulled over to a parking spot one block south of my destination. I parked and started to get out of the car when I realized that the parking meter was only a 20 minute parking meter. Frustrated, I jumped back in the car, put the car in drive, crossed the street and found a parking spot on the left side of the one way street I was on.
Noticing I was becoming late for my appointment my fingers were having trouble finding two quarters in the console. Quarters found I jumped out of the car and started to place the two quarters in the meter only to discover that this meter had one hour and forty four minutes left on the timer!
I stared at the meter in disbelief and looked on the other side of the meter to make sure I was not somehow being deceived. I actually looked around like I was on Candid Camera or something. I could not believe my good fortune.
I dropped the two quarters in my coat pocket, looked both ways (even though it was a one way street!) and crossed over to the other side. As I jumped up on to the opposing curb, I had to make my way past a fancy sports car that was parked right in front of the entrance to the Salon. As I started to reach for the heavy brass doors I happened to turn and look over my left shoulder. Flashing before me in bright red lights was the word "Expired" on the parking meter for this sports car.
I started to turn back to the entrance when I laughed out loud and stopped dead in my tracks. I reached into my coat pocket, grabbed my two quarters and walked over to the meter and quickly dropped two quarters into the slot to offer this sports car sixty more minutes of parking without being in jeopardy of a violation.
I quickly surveyed the area. No one in sight. I made my way into the salon with a big smile on my face and heart and got my hair cut.
My iWitness...
Two things struck me about this occasion...
1. The debt has been paid. I am all worried about how I am going to come up with the money to pay for the parking meter of life so that I can sufficiently pay off the debt for parking my life on this world for however many years I am going to live. I get to the meter only to discover someone else has paid the debt.
That person is Jesus!
I am in violation. My time has expired. I don't have enough quarters in this world to pay my debt. And the reality is the fact that Jesus has already paid the debt with His life on the cross and my sins are forgiven forever and ever.
The Christian life is not about what I do. It's all about what Christ has already done. He has paid the debt. We have been released, free to go, free to pursue life, free to love, free to be the person God made us to be. Praise God that Jesus has done what I could not do for myself... paid the debt.
"You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorfiy God in your body."
(I Corinthians 6. 19-20)
2. How much fun was that to pay it forward for the owner of that sports car! Not begrudgingly, not under compulsion, not forced to do it, but rather with a skip in my step and laughter on my lips I shared the joy of being set free by passing on that good news to someone else. You can too!
Maybe you just had to be there, but I got the biggest kick out of that yesterday.
That's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear Not,
David!
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