As one who in the past had been quite resistant to some forms of modern technology, fully aware that “big brother” utilizes them to peek into our lives, I often wonder why I ditched my 20-year-old 4-Runner and purchased a 2023 RAV4. The darn dashboard on the RAV4 displays an eco score — whatever that is — every time I complete a trip, as if I need some kind of pat on the back or something to make up for the annoying sound emanating from the dashboard whenever my tires hit the mustard or the mayonnaise (yellow or white lines). Last week, I was on a straightaway, not a car in sight or anything else on the road, when an alarm screeched and the exclamation “BRAKE!!!” appeared below the speedometer. Really?! I chuckled and thanked the good Lord above for safeguarding me from the invisible obstacle.
I recently changed insurance providers. To show good stewardship of the means the Lord has blessed me with, I installed Progressive’s goofy app on my phone to save $50 on my premium. So yea, more big brother. Anytime I do something deemed unsafe while tooling along, the app records it as an “event,” which lowers my driving score. I’ve chalked up a few events, so the last time I checked my score was 4 out of 5 stars. I don’t dare to look again. The good news is my eco score remains high; unfortunately, I don’t save any dough with that.
It dawned on me that my disdain for these big brotherly intrusions is, at least in one respect, similar to mankind’s contempt for the laws of God. I’d always considered myself a pretty good driver, but the beeps and warning lights in my vehicle and events recorded on the Progressive app point out my less-than-stellar driving habits. By the same token, I’d always thought I was a pretty good person, but the laws of God point out my sinful nature in all its ugliness.
In Romans 3:20, the Apostle Paul tells us, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” I’m not sure I’ll ever achieve any sort of victory over my vehicular transgressions, but much admiration and gratitude go to the only Big Brother I’m ecstatic to trade the world for — my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
“The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57)
