Love at 25 miles per hour

As I sat with a cup of coffee, a car sped down our road and jolted the quiet morning. The driver ignored the 25 mph signs, and flew past houses going twice that speed. True, I rarely see a police car cruise by or set up a stake out. It's a low risk road for getting pulled over. But is that the only reason for driving the speed limit?

We want other drivers to take it easy past our houses. We expect them to watch out for 

our kids and pets. For us that includes the hens. Our three chickens used to cross the 

road every chance they got. Why? Who knows, it's a chicken thing. At least now I know where that philosophical question came from. Apparently chickens love to cross roads.

Once a pickup and a car had to stop while they shuffled back home. If someone flew

by that day, the chickens may not have survived. (They now have their own fenced yard.) 

Our world gets small when all we see is our to do lists, schedules, and the needs of our families. We tend to forget the One who made us all and how important each person is to Him. Driving the posted speed in a neighborhood or on any road is a powerful way to show love for others.

Jesus tells us to love God completely and love our neighbors as ourselves (see Mark 12:30,31). Both show that we fear the Lord. And we know He didn't just mean the people who live within a four block radius of our house. 

When we think about love, what symbols come to mind? Cards, heart-shaped boxes of candy, a wrapped gift, or spending time together. We don't usually think about how we drive. And yet that may be one of the most important ways to show genuine love. This 

love considers others as more important than ourselves. The kind God pours into our hearts for all people, even those we'll never meet.   

        One of the many ways we can express God's Love - driving past another's house, or their cars on the road, as we want them to drive past ours.