A month ago, I was feeling sorry for myself, because I was wrongly accused of parking illegally in a town I had never visited. It’s never fun to have to pay a fine when you’re innocent. The $40 fine was not that big a deal, but I had an impassioned desire to stand on the “principal” of the matter.
Eventually, however, I gave in to the realization that the fine was just not worth the effort to fight; I simply chose to pay it and be done with it. But, in my “aggravation,” I composed the letter below and sent it with my payment in hopes of least assuaging my sense of “victim-hood.”
Along the way, something arrived I had not expected.
To Whom it May Concern:
This is David Delph, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Plant City. I am writing this letter to share my concern over the helplessness of a citizen of Florida over an overt case of mistaken identity.
I received this notice early this year. The notice does have my middle and last name, and does have my address, and it alleges that I illegally parked my vehicle in or around Stuart. However, I have never been to Stuart. I called a whole barrage of numbers in an attempt to unwind the mystery behind this error. I did finally talk to someone who had the actual citation (which, of course, I had never seen). That citation noted the license tag number was a number which has no connection to my vehicle or any vehicle in my name. Among the many times I was transferred during my phone calls, one lady told me that it may be the VIN of a car that I once owned in my name. There is a “Brian Delph” along the East/Southeast coastal area — perhaps it was his vehicle. Regardless, it was clear that no one could unravel the obvious mistake.
I spoke with an attorney friend about the matter, and he said I can take the time and fight it in court, but without hired counsel, I most likely would fail. I could challenge the court to go ahead and set a date for trial. I could just ignore everything and hope that the damage to my record would not come back to bite me later, or I could take into account the two-hour, one-way drive time to Stuart, the cost of hiring counsel, or possible other costs, and just pay the fine in the full knowledge of my innocence, and that “the system” is stacked against me. Obviously, I must choose the last option. I have neither the time or the resources to right this obvious wrong.
So, I enclose my check for a penalty not my own. (After I wrote that last sentence, I just froze and sat for a moment before continuing.) But then again, this whole matter reminded me of what Jesus, my savior, must have gone through to pay for my sin, even though he was perfectly innocent Himself. My fine was only a lousy 40 bucks. … His was his life — and instead of trying to find a way out of it because of His innocence, He just paid the fine that was mine and yours, too.
Do us both a favor: As you put this check where ever it goes, say a prayer for someone you know who needs the love of Jesus, and remind him or her what Jesus has done for all His children.
Praise be to God the Father, Son and Spirit.
Yep: God blesses us in times and in ways we could never predict.
David Delph is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Plant City. For more, email him at fpcpcpastor@verizon.net.