Don't Leave Heaven Without It

This reflection is the result of a mistake I made yesterday morning. I hit the road to drive to a customer, only to realize a few blocks down the road that I had forgotten my wallet. Oops. So, what did I do? I suppose the wise move would have been to return home and get it, but I didn't. I decided to save myself a few minutes and keep driving.

Well, friends, the good news is this: I never did get pulled over. Furthermore, I'd like to point out, before proceeding, that the last time I caused an accident was some ten years ago, and on that day ice on the road was the main culprit. That having been said, I'm not always the most cautious and law-abiding of drivers, where speed limits are concerned. Like most drivers, I speed "reasonably", however I am on the upper end of reasonable (which is itself a term capable of a wide spread of interpretations).

But without my license? I became a more tame driver. I still broke the posted speed limits, but much more cautiously than I would normally. I made a point to keep with ordinary traffic. I couldn't afford to stand out, and that got me thinking about the fact that I'm a safer driver when I have fewer rights and privileges. As a white, male, native-born American carrying a valid drivers license... yeah, I have privileges. Without the license? Not so much.

It struck me that driving without a license gave me a glimpse into the ordinary day-to-day life of someone less privileged than myself. Be that person Black, Hispanic, an illegal alien, or a wanted fugitive, all of them have reasons to drive as safely as possible, and push no buttons.

In the current politically charged Trump-as-spectacle world, perhaps all of us would do well to know what it's like to find ourselves without passport in a foreign land, at the mercy of a people who owe us nothing but can definitely make life difficult for us if they so choose. It would be a searing experience. Maybe attitude-changing. If you cannot think of a better way to experience this feeling, I highly recommend driving at high speeds without your driver's license as a reasonable proxy.

Yes, the more I reflected upon it, the more I realized how convenient my legal status is and what benefits my passport and driver's license give me. Things I take for granted. I was then reminded of a biblical concept that overlaps with my American citizenship, and that is my citizenship in heaven. I am, in fact, principally a child of a different kingdom. I have rights as an American, and I exercise them often enough. But what rights do I have as a citizen of heaven? And do I exercise them very often?

Hmmmmm.

Hmmmmm!

Our rights as citizens in America give us the courage to stand up to criminals and other wrong-doers. We can take them to court. What's more, because we're citizens, we've got a good shot at justice if anyone tries to accuse us of a fictitious crime. We have good standing with the judicial system. Even when we screw up, we can hope for kinder justice.

So... how does that play out with our heavenly citizenship? Well, friends, no crazy-deep insights here except to say that we have the Power and Authority of heaven behind us, if we want to take on the evil powers and authorities in the spiritual realms of this earth. They can accuse us, but we are in good standing with the King of the Cosmos. And if we so choose, we can intervene and speak with the Authority of Heaven into earthly mishaps. It's called prayer and action.

Well, the rest of what I might say here is probably clear. It's just a good reminder to me that I should do more than remember my wallet in the morning.

I should also remember my heavenly passport. And at all times behave like I have it on my person.