Photo by Jakob Cotton on Unsplash
“Who drove home last night?” I asked my friend on the phone.
“You did!”
In the 80s, it wasn’t unusual for teenagers to pick the driver who seemed the least impaired to drive home after a night at the bars.
Although Peterborough, Ontario was a relatively small town, it had a large number of bars that my friends and I would frequent.
Equipped with fake IDs, we often started at the Pig’s Ear where we could drink 99-cent draught beer before we went to a “real” bar.
The Pig’s Ear, Copperfields, and Clovers were easy to get to on foot but the Cave, Moviolas, and O’Tooles were on the southeast end of town and only accessible by bus or driving. The buses did not run as late as the bars were open so we usually drove.
I don’t remember the night of my shameful drive, but I do remember the next day.
When my friend reported it was me who drove home, I was mortified. What roads did I take? Did I hit anything? Anyone?
No, she told me it was an uneventful drive.
Thank God.
I often look back at those times and shake my head. What a stupid kid. I thank God for His protection — even when I didn’t deserve it. Especially when I didn’t deserve it.
Why did God protect me when I did such stupid things?
I’ve learned that God cares for His people by mercifully rescuing us from our foolish choices. God wants to protect His children. He wants to keep us safe. And His favour doesn’t depend on us and our goodness. It depends on Him and His faithfulness.
That said, sometimes God does allow us to feel the full consequences of our stupid decisions. He still loves us. He has a purpose for allowing us to experience pain and suffering just as He has for blessing us with protection.
As I’ve matured and grown in my faith I’ve learned that the best way to avoid being stupid is by meditating on God’s Word and applying what I learn.
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