His Red Light for My Green Light

My friend and I had a facebook banter back and forth over some of our cultural stuggles as of recent and little did I know I was about to have another reason to complain until God turned it to a lesson of praise and thankfulness... I had ten minutes to make it to Bible study and the traffic was the usual bumper to bumper. I was listening to a beautiful song and following the flow or trickle of traffic without paying much attention to the lane I was in. As I got to the red light ahead I realized I had been following the flow of traffic only at the last minute they scooted into the 'going straight' lane and I was left stuck in a turn only lane. I tried my best to push my bus of a car over into the same lane all of my "friends" squished into but noone was making it easy. Unfortunately this driving mistake (which I would be very frusterated with myself) ended up causing a man in a truck to be stuck behind me. So as my driving mistake has me trapped at a red light I realized I need to lock my doors when the angry man begins to scream at me through my window. Who knew there was SO much vocabulary I didn't know!! LOL I'm pretty sure that tonight I learned all the bad words that ever existed in the Bulgarian language and the sign language that goes with then. To make sure he had made his point he then got to the windshield and spit on my car. I was shaking and scared and mad and wanting to murder him in my heart a little bit but then focused on being really mad that he would spit on the car. As the light turned green and I fled the situation I began to mull over how unjust it was to be treated that way and then I heard the voice of the Lord. He reminded me is the sweet way that He does "Wasn't I thankful that I had a windshield and windows to protect me from his spit?" "Then they began to spit in Jesus' face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him," Matt. 26:67 Jesus took it for me in the face. Not just one angry man, but many "They SPIT IN HIS FACE" Yes I was thankful for the windshield and ONE angry man. Then I thought of how frightening that experience was and how my hands were still shaking. The the voice in my mind asked "Wasn't it a blessing that I was able to lock my car doors?" Jesus was completely vulnerable. They beat Him and if you've ever been slapped in the face you will know that it boils your blood. There is something about being slapped in the face that drives an insult into the pit of your stomache. He was beat, spit on and slapped and there were no locks to keep the enemy from assulting Him. One man, just one man was screaming very mean things at me and I felt so offended that he would dare treat me that way, yet Jesus without sin, was treated worse and called worse. I was able to turn up a radio to drown it out. But God heard every word they hurled at His beloved Son and my Savior was called words that He did not deserve. So I left the red light humbled and grateful that what I experienced for 3 minutes and that I was able to escape that situation unharmed. But Jesus stayed at His red light for me. He didn't escape, though He could have. The Bible clearly states that He had the authority to call down a league of angles to vindicate the situation, but He stayed at the red light and was beat, spit on and slowly killed for me. Why? Why would He choose to sit at the red light? Because love compelled Him to sit at the red light in my place so that I could drive forward and He took my place in an angry crowd. Because of Jesus, I now have a green light into eternity. "Jesus said to him: "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Him" John 14:6 "For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that who ever believes in Him, will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 I hope you're not still sitting at the red light....Jesus took your place a long time ago. All you have to do is hand Him the keys to your life and that light will change green for all of eternity.