Police Cars and Bicycle Racks

Steve Boots
8 minutes ago
2 min read

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Ecclesiastes 12:14

I’m sure I’m like most people when I glance in the rearview mirror and see a police car nestled tightly against my bumper. My first reaction is to acknowledge the pit in my stomach and wonder why he is riding so close to my bumper, and my second is to instantly look at my speedometer. Then I start scanning the roadside for speed limit signs, hoping that my needle happened to be resting in a range the officer behind me feels comfortable with. I have the same reaction when I see a police car on the side of the road, especially when he is holding a radar gun. Even if you think you’re doing right, the presence of authority makes you more aware of your actions. The situation rises to a whole new level at night! I’ve had vehicles come up behind me and trigger the same fear and reaction in me, only to discover as they passed me, that it wasn’t a light bar on a police car I had panicked about, but a bicycle rack that only made it look like a police car.

What’s interesting is how quickly our behavior changes when we believe someone is watching. That reaction reveals something deeper about the human heart. We tend to live more carefully when we think accountability is close. We straighten up, slow down, and make sure everything looks right—at least on the surface. Yet once the police car turns off or falls back, it’s easy to relax again and return to old habits. God’s Word reminds us that we are never truly alone. Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” Unlike the officer in the rearview mirror, God doesn’t come and go. He doesn’t miss anything because of darkness or distraction. His eyes see every mile we travel—public and private, visible and hidden. And that truth can either unsettle us or steady us, depending on how we respond to it.

For the believer, this isn’t meant to produce fear, but faithfulness. God’s watchful eyes are not those of a suspicious officer looking to catch us slipping, but of a loving Father who desires integrity in our hearts. He sees not only what we do, but why we do it. He sees the choices we make when no one else is around. He sees our thoughts, our motives, and our struggles.

Living as if a police car were behind you may keep you within the speed limit for a few miles. Living with an awareness of God’s presence shapes your entire life. True integrity is not living right because someone might be watching—it’s living right because God always is.