Toll Plazas

Have you ever approached a toll plaza with long lines of cars at some toll booths when there are other booths that are open but either have no cars or only a car or two in their lanes? I see this often – it used to surprise me, it doesn’t anymore. It is an example of the way we live – we follow the line of cars and assume the other options aren’t good options.

The toll booth of life that most people line up at isn’t one that leads to life – yet people keep pulling in line.

I was talking to a coworker about a pretty nasty and pornographic book that is popular these days, she has a copy and is going to read it – others I know are reading it. I asked her, “Why read something that you’ve told me is nasty? Why do people do that?”

She responded, “That’s a good question.”

I don’t know if she’ll pull out of the line at the toll plaza that she’s in, but maybe she’ll think about it and direct her car elsewhere.

I ponder the hate-filled rhetoric displayed by professing Christians toward those with whom they disagree – and I wonder why they are in line at that toll booth. That is not the toll booth of Jesus Christ, that is not a way that He goes. I think about the energy that is consumed while driving through the toll booth of vitriol and disrespect – why? It is because there is a long line at that toll booth and we go with the momentum. The speed at which people arrive at the toll plaza is such that the natural inclination is to go with the flow – no matter where the flow leads.

We cannot love and hate at the same time, we cannot be reverent to God and irreverent to others at the same time. We only have so much energy to expend each day, only so many thoughts, only so many words, only so many actions – we deceive ourselves if we think we can engage in hate and vitriol with impunity, without it soiling our minds and hearts, without it soiling our souls. This is not rocket science, this is just common sense – it is also Biblical.

If I have a glass of pure spring water and I put dirt into it I then have impure water. If I have a glass of impure water and put pure spring water into it I still have impure water.

The difference between a natural toll plaza and the toll plaza of life is that in a natural toll plaza no matter which toll booth you choose you’ll come out at the same place; in the toll plaza of life that is not the case – the choices we make determine our destinies – not all toll booths lead to the same place.

Do You Go Outside the Zone?

Tomas Lopez, who up until a few days ago was a lifeguard in Florida, was fired because he went outside his company defined “zone” to save a man’s life. News reports indicate that he wasn’t the first employee this firm has fired for violating this policy and that Lopez knew he risked being fired when he responded to a plea to help the swimmer in distress. Also according to news reports, when other lifeguards heard over their radios what Tomas was doing they knew that he’d be fired for the action.

While his firing is amazing, and while we may think that what he did is common sense and compassionate and responsible and selfless – how many times do we go outside prescribed zones to share the life of Jesus Christ with others? How many times do we rationalize away opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus?

If we say, “Well, I don’t really encounter life and death situations,” then what does that indicate about whether we truly believe that knowing Jesus Christ is of eternal importance?

God has made us all lifeguards.

The DNA of Independence Day

Overheard:

“Well Clive, here we are, another July 4^th. How are you going to celebrate?”

“It’s so hot Clyde, I don’t think we’re doing much, probably staying at home after the parade. July 4^th isn’t as simple as it used to be for me.”

“What do you mean it isn’t as simple? It still falls between the 3^rd and 5^th of July, they haven’t changed the date the way they have Memorial Day.”

“I mean that there is a tension in Independence Day for me. When I was growing up it was simple, we were an oppressed people and we fought for our freedom. When I was a young man it was still simple, the British weren’t treating us right, were taxing us without our consent, and when we protested they garrisoned Boston with soldiers and one thing led to another and “bang!” we had Lexington and Concord.

“But then a few years ago I got to thinking about our DNA, about the legacy of being a people who founded a nation by rebelling against a duly constituted government – and I was especially thinking about this from a Biblical point-of-view. Even when it comes to what is called “Just War Theory” I don’t recall taxation being ranked as a reason for war, not to mention rebellion.”

“Does this mean you aren’t going to the parade Clive?”

“No Clyde, it doesn’t mean that. It doesn’t mean that I don’t love this nation. It doesn’t mean that I’m not patriotic; I guess it does mean that I’m learning to read history through the lens of Romans 3:23: we’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, all individuals have sinned and all peoples have sinned and all nations have sinned – and to white wash the history of my country is akin to white washing my own life, it is akin to pretending that I’ve never sinned – that is denial of the worst kind.”

“Can’t we just watch James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy and call it a day with the philosophy?”

“Now there’s a good point Clyde, why even the way the personal life of George M. Cohan is portrayed in the movie is far from the truth – but as long as it makes us feel good who cares? And I think the way we treat history can be like that, as long as it makes us feel good, or achieves some contemporary political end, who cares if it is the whole story?

“We are known for our individualism, but is that good? And is that the truth? As a professing follower of Jesus Christ I’m taught that while I have a personal relationship with God that I am to live out that personal relationship in community – I am not to live for myself but for God and others. And the individualism may have some myth to it in the sense that the average American doesn’t have as much control as he thinks he has in many respects, but that is a less important thing to me – the myth is what is important because it is part of our national consciousness, our DNA, and it informs the way many of us think about life –why even how Christians think about Christ and their own lives – they usually see themselves as in control rather than viewing themselves as slaves of Christ.”

“Clive, I haven’t even had my coffee yet and you’re throwing all this at me.”

“Sorry. But think about it; is taxation worth a war? Is taxation worth rebelling against duly constituted authority? Plus, it wasn’t as if the population thought revolution was the thing to do, it wasn’t even that 50 percent of the population agreed with the rebellion. Perhaps this was just one more civil war in the history of England, but this time it was fought away from the British Isles and its result was a new nation? And it wasn’t only the British government that was engaged in coercion prior to Lexington and Concord, the Sons of Liberty throughout the Colonies made life rough for agents of the Crown and those who expressed loyalty to England.”

“Are you sure you’re coming to the parade?”

“Yes I’m coming. Don’t get me wrong – I get teary when I think of the farmers gathering at Lexington and Concord, or the Continentals at Valley Forge, or think of Trenton in a cold December; and I can get sick when I think of the atrocities that Tarleton perpetrated on colonists. That’s one of the tensions of history – there is the personal thread of the story as well as the political thread, the philosophical thread, and the religious thread; and goodness knows there are more threads. But what I celebrate I must also ponder and critically consider – especially as a follower of Jesus Christ for my primary citizenship is in heaven.”

“Look Clive, I’ve got to get some coffee. Can we pick this back up at Panera?”

“Sure Clyde.”