A lot of you already know, but back this past fall when I was traveling through a local smaller town, I got a ticket for coasting through a stop sign. Prior to that, I had been feeling convicted about my driving. Mind you, I wasn't a bad driver in my mind, just aggressive. So I would just shrug the conviction off. Besides, the town I live in now is full of people who drive way faster and disregard the laws much worse than I was. So I was good in comparison, right? Yeah, not so much. Even after I got my ticket, I had made the statement that it wouldn't affect how I drive, it would just make me more cautious about who I did stuff around. Ah, but things don't always turn out how we plan them to, do they?

All through the rest of that weekend, every time I would speed or coast through a stop sign or anything like that, even if the person in front of me and the person behind me both did, or if no one was around for miles, I felt really strongly convicted. One time I did it out in the middle of nowhere, with no one anywhere around, and thought, "but there's no one for miles." God brought back to mind the idea that who we truly are is who we are when no one else is around, when no one is watching. And besides, even though no other people saw me do it, God saw it. And since I was being convicted about doing it, I was sinning. "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." (James 4:17)

So, after a lot of conviction by the Holy Spirit, I finally stopped being stubborn and asked God to forgive me for rejecting His conviction about that area of my life, and for Him to help me to obey Him by obeying the rules that the authorities had set, just like it says in Heb 13:17, "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over youas men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you."

However, the story doesn't end there. When you're used to driving along with the rest of the pack going 10 over the speed limit, it is really hard to follow the posted signs. Especially when people run right up behind you and get what seems like inches from your back bumper trying to push you along. One morning in particular there was a very large truck trying to push me along. I prayed to God about "what would the guy in the truck think?" of my driving the speed limit. And God impressed it very hard on my heart that that does not matter. The only Person that I needed to worry about what they thought, was Him. That was a very freeing realization, and it goes far beyond just in driving, but is applicable to life in general.

So many times we go along with the crowd, afraid of what people will think if we follow our convictions and don't go along with everyone else. Even if we don't know the people around us, and most likely won't ever see them again. I know that this is the case with the guy driving the truck behind me. I've never seen him again. And yet, for some strange reason, I was worried that he might think down about me because I was obeying the law. How stupid is that?

It goes further than that though.

When was the last time that a group of your close friends wanted to watch a movie that you knew you shouldn't watch? Did you go along with them? Or did you go to a different movie instead and meet them afterwards? Or the last time a group of your coworkers started gossiping about someone? Did you walk away? Or did you offer that juicy tidbit of information from earlier in the day? The list of examples is pretty much endless.

One thing is for sure. Just sticking to your guns once doesn't mean that you won't have to stick to them over and over again. Because you definitely will. You might even become the object of the mockery of others. And sometimes you will still slip up too. There are times that I catch myself starting to coast through a stop sign. Or I look down and I'm going over the speed limit. When that happens though, you just have to ask for forgiveness and help, and force yourself back to what you're supposed to be doing. Or, not doing.

It will get easier over time too overall. Your friends will learn what kind of movies they can watch with you. Your coworkers will learn that if they talk about other people around you, it won't do any good. And, your foot will learn when to stop, and when to go. Does that mean that your friends won't go to inappropriate movies? Nope. Or that your coworkers will stop badmouthing each other? Uh-uh. Or that people around you will stop speeding? Not at all. It doesn't even mean that they will stop razzing you about it, in fact, it might even get worse with time. But, you never know when your actions might echo in the minds of someone else around you. And you never know how God will use your actions, or non-actions, in the life of someone else down the road.

Just like He echoed the words of one of my classmates from college about obeying the rules of the road, some four years later.