Keeping up with the Traffic

When I was a girl I remember hearing a story about my grandfather’s driving habits. He worked hard all of his life and one day he bought the car of his dreams. A brand new Cadillac. After he retired, he moved to Florida but continued to make trips back to Ohio at least once a year. Driving a car with that much power would tempt anyone to drive a little too fast and Grandpa was no exception. On one trip north, he was pulled over by a Georgia State Trooper who had clocked him going 80 in a 55 mph zone. When the officer told him what his speed had been, my Grandpa said he was just keeping up with the traffic.

“Sir,” said the officer, “no one was passing you!” They both had a laugh, but Grandpa got a ticket anyway. And I’m sorry to say it really didn’t have much impact on his driving! People often justify their actions by comparing themselves to others. With speeding, I’ve even heard people say that it’s safer to keep with the traffic than to drive the speed limit. Whether statistics prove this to be true or not, it’s a dangerous premise to base your actions on.

What if we apply the same theory to other areas of our lives? We can know God’s commands, just like we know the speed limits, but we can choose to ignore them. We use excuses like “everyone else is doing it anyway so what’s the difference?” Like somehow there’s safety in numbers and God won’t notice our sin.

Perhaps we ignore the Sabbath because it’s bad for our business, we can’t let the competition get ahead. Or we ignore God’s command to always tell the truth by saying, “everyone else tells ‘little white lies’ so why does it matter?”

When we compromise what we believe to be true because it makes our lives easier, we are believing a lie. We can be tricked into following man’s principles instead of God’s by allowing ourselves to be led by someone else’s behavior. Like my grandfather, we’re just trying to keep up with the traffic, just going with the flow. It seems harmless.

God has given us the scriptures to guide us and train us for eternity. He tells us clearly, that we will not understand His ways. We have to trust that He is good and that He has set parameters in this life for our benefit.

We need to boldly choose to follow God’s principles and not be influenced by the ways of the world. It’s where we will find God’s blessing.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” – Proverbs 14:12

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9