The Tale of the Traffic Light

It was a hazy Sunday Morning. Martin had a very important Sunday service to attend. It was his parents’ wedding anniversary and a highly revered tradition in the family too, one that must be honoured by every child in that home. By 6:30am, Martin was already out of the house and by 6:45am, he was at the first traffic light closest to his house. As he approached the traffic light, the green light disappeared, leaving the existence of the bright yellow light. Although Martin hoped that he would be smart enough to avoid the red light, the traffic light turned red just as he crossed the white line. His smartness did not play out well this time. There and then, there were no vehicles behind him, none in the opposite direction, none in the adjacent road; it was just him, stuck and controlled by that inanimate object- a supposed symbol of the law!

Not that Martin didn’t have an option, in fact, he had two options. One: to wait till the green light appeared. Two: to damn the consequence and go along on his important journey. After all, it was just him at that point and there was no likelihood of an accident. For the next 60 seconds, Martin fought the urge to break the law. Every second that passed seem to him like he was playing the ‘mumu’. Eventually, the traffic light turned green and it was time to go.

Like the case of the traffic light, temptations are unpredictable. They come to you when you least expect. Often times, we are sandwiched between choosing what’s right and what’s wrong. We may decide to opt for the wrong choice just because we think nobody is watching and there may be no immediate consequence but standing up for what is right is still the best option. The satisfaction that comes with the sinful nature may not last beyond 60 seconds but the guilt that comes with sin can last a lifetime. May God help us to always stand for what is just even when no one is watching (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Black, White or Grey?

Since my son turned five, I have officially assumed the position of his conscience just like the cricket in the famous Disney animation flick, Pinocchio. Most times, my son is quick to ask me if an action was good or bad and if it would mean ending up in Hell. The role was quite fascinating at first because all I needed to do was to let him know what Jesus likes and why He likes it. The challenge, however, crept in when my son started asking questions about what he sees on television. At that point, I needed to let him know what is appropriate without judging the individuals involved (Mathew 7: 1). Television poses a kind of parenting challenge these days (Don’t know whether our parents experienced this kind of challenge. I mean, can’t remember if the shows we watched back then had ratings). To cut the story short, a particular music video was playing on T.V. and as usual, the question came: “Mummy, is that a good song?” I paused. It was obvious that the “all-knowing mummy” was confused. Well, I should be or let’s say my categorization of music videos failed me at that point. The lady singers (an international trio) are contemporary singers with hit albums but this time they were singing ‘When Jesus says yes, nobody can say no’. Also, they were well- clad and decent in this gospel single.

 In this present world, it is becoming even more difficult to decide what truly belongs to God and what is outright worldly. Most people simply settle for a compromise. At least, that seems fair. Christians no longer stand like the bible commanded (Ephesians 6:13). They prefer to wobble here a little and wobble there a little. It is no longer a situation of being either black or white. Grey is equally accepted, in fact more acceptable than being black or white. If only we can remain stable and focused on the goal – Heaven- then, everything will no longer be acceptable. White will remain white, black will remain the same and the colour Grey will not even appear on our colour wheel.