I imagine there are a few of you who have pet peeves, and that I am not alone in this department. If that is true then maybe you can empathize with me to a degree.

One thing that really bothers me is people who drive and park as if they somehow don’t have to obey the rules of the road. Throughout Tooele, people park right in front of establishments in a “No Parking” zone, or an “Emergency Vehicle Only” zone. They do the same thing in “Red Zones” in front of the post office, or other places that have a clearly painted or posted restriction.

What amazes me even more is most of the people doing these things are age 35 and older, well-dressed and driving nice cars. These are likely people who would be otherwise labeled as law-abiding citizens.

Isn’t it interesting how so many “good” people choose what laws to obey, and what laws they feel exempt from? It’s as if they think that because they obey the big laws that they are excused from the little laws. They believe they have somehow earned the privilege of choosing to disobey some laws from time to time.

I have observed these questionable practices (breaking of the law) being committed by all kinds of people — coaches, grandparents, leading business people, and even government officials.

On occasion, I have approached these people to get their spin on what they are doing, and the answers have been interesting in the least. When I politely asked one man what it was about the “No Parking” and “Red Zone” that he didn’t quite understand, he began to rant and rave at me, calling me a legalist. That was an interesting excuse.

Others simply say they are in a hurry, or it isn’t that important. One man said flat out that he simply didn’t care and he would do what he felt like doing.

All in all, these people are considered good people by many, and because of that they generally expect to be excused for their indiscretions. To be somewhat fair to them, most people feel that way about their shortcomings as well.

So what’s the problem? The problem is not everyone is allowed to turn a blind eye — specifically God.

Nonetheless, that is exactly what many people believe God should do. They are taught — or they conclude it on their own — that God makes trade-offs, because that is what they do. In doing so they impose upon God the value system they believe is right.

The problem is God is far beyond us, and He cannot and will not compromise His standards. God is holy, just and righteous, and because of His very nature he must ask of us what He asks of Himself.

Daily we tell ourselves that the little things won’t matter, not when weighed out against all the good we’ve done.

But that rationalization does not allow God to ignore our sin. His righteousness will not allow Him to turn a blind eye, and His justice demands that the little sins, as well as the big sins, be dealt with.

Many cry out, “That is not fair. How can God treat my lie in the same way He does theft or murder?”

God answers this for us in James 2:10, where He says that to break any part of His law is to break His whole law.

God’s law is somewhat like a big picture window. If you shoot a hole in the upper right hand corner of your mother’s picture window, she doesn’t say you broke the upper right hand corner of her window, she says you broke the window. The whole window has been ruined because of one small hole.

It is the same with God’s law. It is a whole thing, and to break any of it is to break all of it. That is why the end result, or judgment, is the same for all who break His Law. They are cast out of His presence.

But there is just one exception. If someone who has not sinned is willing to pay for your sin then God will accept that as just payment on your behalf. The problem is all of us have sinned (Romans 3:23).

But there is just one who is not guilty of sin, and that is God the Son, Jesus. He alone has never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). Therefore He alone had no sin to pay for, so He could pay for our sins. And that is exactly what He did. Christ went to the cross to do for us what none of us could ever do for ourselves. He satisfied God’s justice in our place so that we could have the opportunity to have peace with God (2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 1:20).

But it doesn’t end there. Just as you choose to sin, in the little things as well as in the big things, you must choose to accept the payment Christ made for you at the cross. Your sin is not automatically covered. You must choose to accept Christ’s payment. You must put your faith in Jesus that He alone is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one — no matter how religious you are or what church you go to — can enter the Father’s presence and receive the gift of eternal life apart from putting their faith in Christ, and asking Him to forgive them of their sin (Romans 10:9-13; John 14:6; Matthew 7:21).

So do not excuse your indiscretions as you have been taught to do. Do not think that the little sins don’t matter.

Instead, turn to Jesus in faith. Give up your attempts to be good enough, and instead give yourself in faith to Christ alone. He is the only true Savior, and He alone can give you eternal life. You do not deserve it, nor can you earn it, but He is willing to give it.

Parking in the wrong place may not always make a difference, but trusting in the wrong savior can make all the difference in eternity.

Jon McCartney is pastor of the First Baptist Church located at 580 S. Main St. in Tooele.