by Joanie Butman
The number of Lucy moments I’ve been having seem to be increasing proportionately with age. Last week I drove into the city and thought I experienced a miracle as a parking space opened up just as I approached my daughter’s apartment. It’s not the parting of the Red Sea, but for New Yorkers it’s a close second. I was now going to save the cost of storing my car overnight. I carefully read the signs posted, and it seemed to be legal. The street was filled with other cars, so I counted my blessings and went on my way, ignoring the gut feeling that this spot was too good to be true.
Fast forward 24 hours when my daughter and I turned the corner to discover my car gone. It didn’t take long to determine that contrary to what I believe, No Standing means No Parking. What the heck? Did they not take English courses? Parking and standing are not synonymous. How can you have a no parking sign AND a no standing sign at the same location? Wouldn’t it be easier to just post when you CAN park to avoid confusion? Did you know there are fourteen different no standing violations and none of them involve being upright?
The signs may have been baffling, but it was easy to track down the car. Surprisingly, the city’s website is quite efficient letting you know the location of your car and the ransom required. After all these years of living in and then visiting the city, this was my first (and hopefully last) trip to the pound. I tried to inquire through the bulletproof glass (that is apparently soundproof as well) why they use no standing when they mean no parking? No response other than an exasperated look as my hefty bill was shoved through the slot. The woman’s mood did not improve as my credit card was denied for no reason.
It took a while but I paid the fine, and they passed me through a number of check-point individuals who were just as effervescent as the cashier before being escorted to my car. Not many happy people working at the pound. I retrieved my vehicle along with the hefty ticket waiting on the windshield. I may have paid the fine for towing, but now I had to add on the penalty for the original infraction. Finally on our way, I said to my daughter, “Well, at least we could afford to get the car back! What would happen if you couldn’t?” You’d be stuck, is the obvious answer.
Like I said, I didn’t see a lot of joy at the pound, but I could certainly see the spiritual lesson. How many years was I stuck in a miserable, bleak existence before I realized and accepted that Christ had paid my fine? It was like living in black and white when we are created to live in technicolor. I thought back to my query about what happens if you can’t afford the fine? Spiritually speaking, none of us can. Only by grace are we liberated from the prison of our own selfish desires.
I never worked at the pound, but I had erected a self-imposed, bullet-proof (or so I thought) prison. Little did I know the bullets were coming from the inside. It was only after Christ shattered that divider that I recognized how it shut out the exact protection I needed. Jesus is the only one with the power to defend me against attacks of all kinds. He is my strength and shield because when I am weak, He is strong.
So why was I so reluctant to embrace His gift? I suppose I thought it would cost me my freedom. In reality, it did the opposite. There were no hidden fines tacked on, no onerous requirements. It came at no cost to me. Christ paid my ransom in full – as he does for all who choose to believe. Any feeble efforts to earn grace on my own were as useless as that denied credit card I presented at the pound. Even when I tried to obey the rules (as I did with my parking), I failed miserably.
New York City parking regulations may be puzzling, but God’s gospel is not. There are no gray areas with God. He says what He means and means what He says. Philip Yancy reminds us, “There is nothing we can do to make God love us more and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less.” God doesn’t complicate His message of love and salvation. It may seem too good to be true, but therein lies the miracle of grace. We do have to choose to accept it though. Choose wisely!
