If you want to dance, you've got to pay the fiddler.
Couple things here:
I was driving through a small town on a busy highway. The town has one red light and a few gas stations. Upon entering the town, I asked myself, I wonder when school starts. I came to a stop at the red light and noticed a police car behind me with lights flashing. I waited for the light to turn green and pulled over. The officer approached & introduced himself. He notified me I sped through a school zone. Normally I don’t respond after the officer speaks, unless he asks a question. I felt compelled to ask if the flashing yellow lights were on. I knew that’s why I asked myself if school had started, I didn't notice the flashing lights. He quickly replied the lights are on and come on at 730am daily. I provided my license and insurance verification. He went to his vehicle and returned with a citation. I thanked him for his professionalism and respect and left.
Once I was at work, I wondered what the cost of the ticket was. The ticket cost was more than I expected. I began going over the events earlier that morning. I noticed he wrote the ticket at 0734 am, and I took a picture (the image attached) @ 736 am. I was curious about the time I entered the town. Next, I questioned the working conditions of the school flashing lights. I decided to check it out the next day.
The next morning, I drove through the small town between 0731-0732 am. As I approached and passed the yellow lights it was confirmed, they were not flashing. The police vehicle was parked and watching in the same spot as the day before. I turned off the highway and parked next to the police. I got out of my vehicle and approached the police. The officer was in the passenger seat and a different officer in driver's seat. I reminded him I was the one he wrote a speeding ticket to yesterday. He seemed to study my face and after a few moments of silence, he gave a slight nod of remembrance. I informed him the flashing lights were not on and drove away.
THE DILEMMA… part of me wanted to contest the ticket and the other part said just pay it. I hoped the officer would've reconsidered. There were no additional signs posted about the school zone (time or speed). The flashing light has a small sign stating, 'When flashing speed limit is 35mph'. I couldn't prove the lights were off and he couldn't prove they were on. I was on the fence about the timeline, he wrote the ticket at 0734am. I also noticed, in the days following, the yellow lights did not start flashing at 07:30. I had a court date pretty quick, so I needed to decide.
THE CHOICE... I decided to pay the ticket despite the urge to contest it. The only one who knew for certain, was God. God saw it, only He knows the absolute truth. Ultimately, a common saying came to my mind. The saying swayed the finger pointing back to me. The words of the late Dr. Adrian Rogers mentioned it multiple times. “You are free to choose. You are not free not to choose. No choice is a choice. You are free to choose but you are not free to choose the consequences of that choice.”
THE LESSON... It was the time of year that schools were returning. I chose to stay uninformed of the school start date. I chose to maintain a speed even though; I was wondering if school was in session. Even if I contested and the officer reconsidered, I was still exceeding the speed limit. I had to confess I was not innocent; I was guilty of speeding. My choices promptly resulted in an expensive consequence. Which brings me to the title of the message. If you want to dance, you've got to pay the fiddler.
Proverbs 28:13. 13 Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Oh, how I desired to ignore my fault, plead my case, and point out the potential errors on the other end. Then I recalled this verse from Luke. Why do you focus on the flaw in someone else's life and fail to notice the glaring flaws of your own life? Luke 6:41 TPT
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