My husband and I call a police car that is sitting on the side of the road a "mobile conscience."

We have all seen it. For the brief moment that the motorists see and pass a cruiser they dramatically decrees their speeds to five or even ten miles under the speed limit when only moments before they were doing the opposite and going five or ten miles over the speed limit.

It often makes us laugh but sometimes it can be annoying as traffic congests and those drivers who are not paying attention are forced to slam on their brakes in order to not rear end the car ahead of them.

But the moment passes quickly.

Soon the cars pick up speed again and again the traffic flows at five to ten miles over the speed limit.

The fear of the fine and the risk of raising their car insurance makes people very wary of getting caught. Yet they still speed.

The true irony lies in how little is gained from speeding (especially when compared to the risks!). If someone wanted to arrive only five minutes earlier at their destination they will need to drive 60 miles on the freeway going five miles over the speed limit (assuming the speed limit is 60 miles per hour). That means that they will have to be driving for an hour in order for it to make even a remotely significant change to their arrival time!

It reminds me a lot of my son. When the tantalizingly interesting objects inside a forbidden cupboard is weighed against the risks of the punishment for satisfying his curiosity- it is often too much of a temptation for my little boy.

He has learned not to undergo his investigation when Mommy is around - and the moment I walk over to see why he is so suspiciously quiet he will immediately slam shut the door and look at me with such innocence. Though I can not slap his offending hand (as I had not caught him in the act) I will still give him a firm verbal reminder and walk him away from the temptation.

It reminds me a lot of myself. How often I try to cover up a lie, or try to justify a prideful moment!

But all the cover ups are of no avail. Just as the police officer pulls out behind the car that broke the law and my son gets a lecture for opening the cupboard door, God knows what I am doing- no matter how much I pretend how good I am.

For those little moments of feeling relief at avoided embarrassment or the glee felt when I feel like I am better then another person (isn't the heart so desperately wicked?!) - is it worth the feeling of guilt later? Or even more sobering- that I may be called to account before my God for those fleeting moments?

I need to always remember that he is not on the side of the road or in another room- he is always there and knows my thoughts before they are even uttered.