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A few years ago, I got a speeding ticket.  I can’t remember how fast I was going, but I’m sure it was fast as I have lead feet.  This was my first speeding ticket that I received where I was responsible for figuring out how I was going to handle it.  I’m not sure if this is still a thing (i.e., since I haven’t had a speeding ticket in about 15 years), but on your first offense you could request a prayer for judgement.

Receiving a prayer for judgement meant the speeding ticket wouldn’t affect your insurance, but you couldn’t receive another speeding ticket within a certain number of years.  If you did, then you would be penalized for the old and the new speeding ticket.   Instead of calling my parents, I decided to reach out to this attorney firm for assistance. They offered to take care of the speeding ticket and they requested a prayer for judgement.

Working through the details with my attorney, I asked how much everything would cost.  Everything meant the cost of the speeding ticket, court cost, and attorney fees.  The attorney stated that the cost would be $285.00.  This was a sweet deal since I didn’t have to go to court and the ticket wouldn’t affect my insurance.  I paid the bill and waited for the attorney to get back to me regarding the outcome of my case.

A few weeks passed and my attorney contacted me.  He said that everything was taken care of. I received the prayer for judgement and the case was closed. There was nothing left for me to do.  Three months later I received a letter from the clerk of the court stating that my court fees were past due and if I didn’t pay them, they were going to issue a warrant for my arrest.

Talking about someone scared and panicky, I called the court clerk and stated that this must be a mistake; my attorney stated they paid my court fees.  The clerk of court assured me it wasn’t a mistake and that I owed $200.00 to the court.  I immediately contacted my attorney and remember the phone conversation like it was yesterday.  My attorney and his partner were on the line, and they had me on speakerphone. 

I told them about the notification letter I received.  My attorney said Well, that is right Chetoca.  You need to pay the clerk of court.  I said, “That can’t be right as you Mr. Attorney stated that $285.00 would cover all expenses including your fee.”  The next thing I heard was laughter in the background.  One of the attorneys says, “did you really think $285.00 was going to cover all the expenses?”

The $285.00 was just our legal fee.”  I said, “Yes I believed the $285.00 covered all expenses, as that is what you told me.”  They continued to laugh and said, “pay the bill and they hung up on me.”  Oh, no sir, no ma’am.  They really didn’t know who they were dealing with.  Besides being livid and embarrassed, I was replaying in my mind the initial conversation. Looking over the notes I took from the original conversation; sure enough, my notes stated that the $285.00 included everything.

Being overwhelmed with having to pay the clerk of court I immediately began praying…a very short prayer in which I uttered the words; “GOD, you have to help me; this isn’t right.”  Simultaneously pondering my next step, I was given a clear next step.  An overnight certified letter to the attorney firm was mailed in which I provided a timeline of events along with a recap of our conversation from Day 1 through the last phone conversation.

In short, I stated that they were responsible for taking care of this bill and if they didn’t, I would file a grievance with the NC state bar.  FedEx sent me a confirmation email that the firm received my letter but guess what…they never responded to me. The last day was upon me to pay the court fees. The clerk of court is 40 minutes in the opposite direction of my home.  What a dreadful drive that was. When I arrived and gave them my name the clerk told me the bill was taken care of.

I said, “Are you sure? She said, “Yes ma’am, you don’t owe anything; your attorney paid the fee yesterday.”  It’s funny how situations arise in our lives where we don’t have a clue how we are going to handle them.  The day, I spoke to my attorney, and they told me everything was taken care of, I had every confidence that what they stated was true.  Months later I was filled with a lot of frustration that I didn’t know awaited me. The good news is I didn’t need to know what awaited me, but who was waiting for me.

Deuteronomy 31:8 says “The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”  While I didn’t know what laid ahead of me, God knew.  He was already in my tomorrow, equipping me to take care of the situation.  God gave a young girl the ability to fight for herself. 

We may not know what tomorrow brings but know that GOD does, and He is waiting patiently for our tomorrow to come to provide the assistance we need. 

Ease & Stillness,

Chetoca B.