“Ready or Not!”

2008 April 24

tags: food, police, ready, Real-Life Spirituality

by timmy

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http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=456&sid=1389952

I heard about this story in the news this morning. Apparently this lawyer, while eating in a local restaurant, noticed a police officer parking outside the restaurant right in front of a “no parking” sign. He continued to watch the officer as he left his car there and ordered and waited for his food.

This obviously annoyed the lawyer because he confronted him. He then decided to initiate traffic fines (I guess a citizen can do that?) so the officer will be summoned to court in May and be charged and possibly be fined for up to $540.

The officer will be fighting the charges. I hear he has grounds because, even though he was waiting for food, he was still a uniformed emergency responder who needed to be ready in case of an emergency.

As I read the article, I began it with some form of annoyance, or perhaps even distain for the police officer who would “use” his status as an officer. Who hasn’t seen officers patrolling the streets flip their lights on and off just to get through a red light without stopping, even though they were not “in pursuit”? However, as I read to the end, and I read the reasoning for it, I felt a bit better. It is true that he would have to be ready to jump into his car and tear out of there in the case of an emergency. I can see an officer needing to park his car “just so” with no obstacles in the way and close to the door so there is nothing impeding his quick response.

1 Peter 1:13 “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”

Ephesians 6:14 “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;”

1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

The same way an officer, or any emergency responder, needs to be always ready, so do we spiritually. To gird up one’s loins is to be ready to run. In the first two verses, the Bible uses this phrase in reference to our minds and truth. We must be sober, nothing impeding our judgment and we must know truth. As Christians, we must “be ready always to give an answer”!

What obstacles do you have in your life that are marring your judgments? Are you searching for truth in the scriptures? Are you reading your Bible? Just the same way the officer needed to be ready to run on a moment’s notice, so we need to be ready!