crosswalk

My precious friend has four little boys. They are 4, 3, almost 2, and four months... Yesterday we went to a city-wide fundraiser at the park.  The boys all had fun in different ways!

Walking back to the car, we had to cross a fairly busy one-way street with two lanes.  The light tells us when it's safe to cross, so we waited for it to change and then tried to hurry.  I had the oldest and the toddler, while Mama had the baby on her chest in a carrier and the 3-year-old in the stroller.  The two-year-old doesn't walk very fast, but I had his hand so it was all good.  The 4-year-old, however, started walking away from us, kind of more toward the center of the street rather than the curb.  We were both telling him to get to the other side, TWO adult voices and clear instructions.  Then it became clear what he was doing.  He was trying to get on the painted crosswalk.  (I will NEVER understand why sidewalks empty out onto the street about 6 feet away from the place appointed to walk in.... but in Texas we don't walk much so they're not really very people-friendly.)

I grabbed his hand and gently - but quickly - routed him to the curb where we all needed to step up onto the grass and into safety.  Both of us, Mama and I, were asking him WHY he did that.  I said, "Were you trying to get inside the white line?  You don't have to walk exactly inside it!  It's more important to get OUT of the street, sweetheart!" 

Don't we do this?  I think, a lot of the time, we can get so consumed with following "The Law" that we miss the point of whatever God has in store for us at that moment.  Legalism is a very tricky thing, and it can run parallel to perfectionism for those of us who take pride it being good, or doing it right.

Yes, there are white lines to walk in.  And generally, that's what we should do.  But getting out of traffic is more important, and sometimes it just doesn't jive with putting our toes right between the crosswalk.