Time for a ticket?

Only in the Philippines can you talk your way out of getting a ticket from a policeman.

Last Friday, we carpooled to Manila with some friends of ours from church. We do not take this three-hour drive too often, but this occasion was to see the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. The hours actually flew by quickly as we thoroughly enjoyed talking with the Ponio family (Mrs. Ponio, Karen, and Aljohn).

Once we hit Manila, the traffic was so heavy! To complicate things, we were driving in new territory without clear street signs and lanes. (Driving in the Philippines is such an adventure! We always laugh at our situations….once we are out of them. Ha ha!) So as we were driving through traffic and shuffling around cars, we suddenly noticed a police motorcycle driving beside us and flagging us over. We apparently violated a traffic rule—or so the policeman said.

Dad rolled down his window as the policeman explained our “violation” in broken English. We were still a little confused on what we had done wrong, and so the policeman walked over to the other side of the car to converse in Tagalog with our Filipino friends. Karen (who is 23 years of age) began talking to him, explaining our situation and our confusion of the traffic rules—since the “violation” was not clear.

We understood bits and pieces of their conversation, but the funny part was to hear Karen so earnestly plead with the policeman to not give us a ticket. (In the Philippines, it is not uncommon to do such a thing. Sometimes policemen will issue tickets, but many times they hope to receive some bribe money instead. So Filipinos know that it is acceptable to negotiate with a policeman)

During their conversation, the policeman occasionally patted his pocket—signaling he wanted bribe money. Yet, Karen succeeded to convince him of our situation of how we were unfamiliar with the area. Eventually, the policeman returned Dad's license and probably was disappointed that his pocket was not filled.

Soon after that incident, we finally arrived at the orchestra building (yes, we were very careful to avoid any more traffic “violations”). The concert was an Italian theme and we enjoyed it so much. One of the solo performers was a flautist, who played exceptionaly well. We later learned that he started with the orchestra at a VERY young age—he is now 22. He sure has talent!

Looking back on that…eventful evening :-), we saw some comparisons with earthly authority and our Supreme, Heavenly Authority. In the Philippines, many know that the police force and government (or any earthly government for that matter!) often act corruptly—not always carrying out the rules or regulations, such as accepting bribes. :-)

Thankfully, our God is not like any earthly governing authorities. They are all human, but He is a Just and Holy God—free from corruption of any kind. And when He issues “tickets” in our lives, we cannot bargain with Him. If He comes to us and shows us an issue where we were wrong, we need to promptly repent. These tickets demonstrate His love toward us because He desires to see us learn of His ways so that we may enjoy the fruits of living in harmony with His Standard. That’s a ticket worth receiving.

“For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” Proverbs 3:12.