Article October 26, 1987 Issue

The Ten Commandments: a spiritual foundation

The sign said "No Parking." But I parked there anyway. What happened next changed my life.

Retha A. Beall

While I was on a shopping trip some years ago, I learned a lesson about the Ten Commandments that would ultimately heal me of the effects of a back injury.

Although I didn't realize it at the time, my lesson began when I could not find a parking space. In my search for a spot, I noticed that a former garage, now empty, had a parking space in front of it, directly across from the bank where I needed to stop. But a sign on the garage's front read, "NO PARKING; VIOLATORS' CARS WILL BE TOWED AWAY."

The sign looked old, so I assumed it had applied only when the business had been open. I reasoned about parking there, thinking of the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Since I would not mind if someone used my lot just for a minute, I parked and went into the bank. I came back within the minute but then remembered another errand. Again I reasoned self-righteously that since I would not mind someone parking for just five more minutes, the garage owner would not mind. I headed off to complete my shopping. I was gone longer than I expected, unmindful of the time, until suddenly I remembered where I had parked. All at once I saw that I had not been considerate or loving toward the garage owner, nor had I been law-abiding! I tore out of the store, only to find that the car was gone!

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