Lessons I Learned From a Speeding Ticket about Living Too Fast

Picture from the 'Click it or Ticket' Campaign Poster

I had the unexpected pleasure of getting a speeding ticket this past week. Oh, joy! I was traveling to St. Charles, Missouri from Fayetteville, Arkansas. It’s about a six hour drive. I wasn’t really in a hurry, but frankly I just got lazy about paying attention to my odometer. I got caught up in my thoughts and the flow of traffic out of boredom with the long drive. The really stupid thing is that I have cruise control. The experience seems profoundly metaphorical (and a bit ironic) as I work on a mini-course about getting life back in balance. In fact, I have had several ironic events in which God seems to be tapping me on the shoulder saying, “Slow down mister.” Here are a few lessons learned from my most recent tap:
 

Conditioned to Hurry

I needlessly hurried. I did not have an arrival time to meet. Yet, I was rushing. I was reminded of an uncle who use to quickly get ready in the morning after he retired even though he had no place to go. He was conditioned to move that fast. Do you ever find yourself rushing needlessly? Have you conditioned yourself to feel urgency when it is unnecessary?
 

Not paying attention to the odometer

I was lulled into not being as attentive to my speed as I should have been. Do you have any indicators that alert you that you are moving too fast? I know I am out of balance if fast food bags start appearing in my car. It means I am moving to quickly to observe good eating habits or to properly care for my vehicle. That’s just one indicator. What are your indicators? Sleeplessness? Channel surfing late at night after everyone is in bed? Roaming online? Oversleeping? Eating lots of comfort food?
 

Caught in the flow of traffic

if everyone else had been driving the speed limit, I would have readily noticed I was speeding, but they weren’t. It was easy to speed and not notice. In fact, I often times felt slow by comparison. I encounter a limited number of people who are living their lives in a balanced manner. If everyone around you is living in hyper-overdrive, you can be deceived into think that it is normal and healthy. Do you ever find yourself caught up in over-activity simply because it is available?
 

Use your cruise control

If I had set my cruise control I would have never sped. Furthermore, I would have saved fuel and been safer.. God has a cruise control for time. It’s called a Sabbath. Observing a Sabbath sets limits on over activity. Sabbath rest also makes you more efficient. When I consistently observe a Sabbath, I have clearer perspective on being a better steward of time. It’s just plain healthier. Do you have af Sabbath day? Do you rest and is it holy?
 
These lessons condense down into essentially two things: paying attention and leaning on the gift of Sabbath given to us by God. In the “Time for Change” mini-course that I am writing I am compiling time management solutions to help people get a grip on a more balanced life. They are all strategies that have worked for me. Pause to consider that if you live too fast you can also get speeding tickets. The problem is they usually come in the form of a health crisis, missed opportunity, unnecessary stress, poor decisions, strained relationships, poor sleep or a neglected relationship with God, just to mention a few possibilities. God doesn’t intend for us to never rest and to live in a constant made dash. Take time to observe the speed limits of life. My mini-course can help.
 
If you haven’t signed up for the course, do so today, by filling in the box below. “Time to Change” is schedule to release on September 15th.
 

 

2 thoughts on “Lessons I Learned From a Speeding Ticket about Living Too Fast”

  1. Nice to read of your reflections and the linkage of daily life to the Word. I see a famine of the application of the Word to real life, and it was refreshing to read it here. Hope that the traffic ticket was not too costly 🙂

  2. Thanks for commenting. I am glad to hear that this post spoke to you. I don’t recall what the ticket cost me in dollars, but the lessons learned from it were invaluable, so ultimately I came out ahead for the experience. God is good in that way. He redeems my stupid decisions on a regular basis and I praise him for that. Peace.

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