Slowing for the stop light today, the car beside me roared through the lane milliseconds after the light changed from yellow to red. It seems that many have found a “sweet spot” of about a second to glide through the red light before the other traffic light turns green. I would venture to say it’s about 80%-90% of the time. It’s alarming how many people do this in Houston, Texas. If I’m experiencing it, I know you are seeing it too.
As a mom, I was always looking for God lessons in every day living and I think this would be a great one to talk about with your kids.
Running a red light is synonymous with pushing the envelope of sin.
When I explored the reasons someone would run a red light, I had these thoughts:
Entitlement – “I do not have to heed this boundary because I am special. My schedule, my responsibilities, and my importance exclude me from having to obey this rule. I operate on my own time and stopping to wait would cause me great discomfort.”
In a day where many want their rights, their privileges, and their way, following Christ requires a sacrificial lifestyle. Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24
I’ve outwitted the system – “Look at all these suckers stopping at the red light. Don’t they know there’s about a second and a half window before the other traffic light turns green?” Those who operate this way believe they have found a way to circumvent the rules without getting hurt or hurting others. We’ve all heard the phrase, “If I’m not hurting anyone, what’s the harm?”
1 Corinthians 13:8-9 TPT says, “Make no mistake about it, if anyone thinks he is wise by the world’s standards, he will be made wiser by being a fool for God! For what the world says is wisdom is actually foolishness in God’s eyes. As it is written: The cleverness of the know-it-alls becomes the trap that ensnares them.”
When you think you’ve found a clever way to side step God’s instruction, your feet actually become ensnared in the enemy’s trap.
Stop doesn’t mean stop anymore – The problem with continuously running a red light is you reprogram your mind that red actually means speed up or go. This is why eventually someone does get hurt. You begin rushing through the intersection just a millisecond longer each time until it’s too late.
A callous has many layers that build over time. Multiple moments of crossing the boundary line when your heart says, “stop” causes a hard, calloused heart. That voice inside is the Holy Spirit and he wants to protect us. We put ourselves in grave danger when we consistently tune him out.
I pray these RED LIGHT lessons with your children stop the enemy in his tracks! It’s also a great reminder for ourselves.
