By Steve

Parking tickets

I parked my car today in a metered, 15 minute parking area. I fed the meter and ran up to my office to make a couple copies and send a fax hoping of course to return to my car in 14 minutes. I rushed through my tasks and made my back to 6th Ave. but it was too late. I could see the parking cop next to my car, I watched the man write the ticket. I slowed my pace as I approached my car.

The parking tickets in San Diego come with a bright yellow envelope that can be spotted from some distance. My meter was expired, my windshield had no envelope. But I saw the guy…writing a ticket for the car behind me.

Of course this got me thinking, both cars deserved a ticket but only one car received one. Why? Was this fair? Could I be grateful that I was shown mercy (yes)? What would the other person think (though they will never know unless they stumble across this blog and realize that I am referring to 6th Ave between Broadway and E on the East side of the street at about 12:15pm on Monday, December 17, 2007), the officer letting me off but not him?

And as my mind often does this led to thinking about God and me and others. And how God might have a yellow envelope for each of us. But some never receive it. And how it would seem that God shows some mercy and not others. And how those who are shown mercy must be thankful but those who are not must really be upset. And this is why it just seems impossible to believe that God chose us…choosing some to get the ticket and others not. Because God is not a meter cop.

During this Christmas season (and since this is my blog I take the liberty to still use the word Christmas), I have spent much time thinking of the advent, or the coming of Jesus. This coming has something to do with the past the present and the now. I guess what I’m thinking of now, is not how to make perfect sense of God’s mercy towards us, but my response to his arrival…especially in the now. Maybe I don’t so much care about whether or not God chooses us as much as I care about whether or not we choose God.