A young woman told me that for part of her driver's training she was required to stand on a busy corner and count the infractions. At first she assumed there would be few. But in the space of half an hour she witnessed seventy eight ticketable actions. Some cars rolled through the stop sign, others neglected to use a turn signal, still more ignored the stop completely. One turned left from the right lane, and another nearly hit a kid on a bike.  The percentage who were on the phone astonished her. 

The other day I took a car to our mechanic, who lives at an intersection. He needed to look under the hood for a few minutes and I decided to play the game too. The girl was right. Many people do not obey the rules. 

Someone once told me the difference between human laws and Divine laws. The ones people create, while intended to keep order, are arbitrary. Fifty five is a random number for a speed limit. Taking turns at a stop sign could as easily be based on the color of the car rather than the notion to yield to the car on the right. 

But God's laws are inextricably embedded into creation. It is not because of whim or fancy that He protects our freedom.

This week I am starting a couples' group based on the five laws of Divine Providence.  They include the freedom to choose, the freedom to change, the opportunity to love, the capacity for enlightenment and the invitation to trust. 

They sound like a good rules for the road.