Paying the Toll

In Psalm 37, we can read a passage that points to the faithfulness of God to His people, who are dedicated to doing His will, to doing good for His glory:
25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore.
28 For the Lord loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.

God has been and is merciful toward us, and He calls us to a life of mercy toward others.  If we are convinced that God is faithful - and He is - then we can walk with a sense of confidence that He is taking care of us and watching over us.  If we aligned with Him and devoted to obedience, then we will see Him do incredible things in, through, and around our lives.  He has given us the prescription, and calls us and empowers us to walk in His way.

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In 1st Peter 3, we read a challenging passage that can encourage us when we face opposition when we do good, when we obey God:
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

For almost 30 years, 77-year-old Vladislav "Sam" Samsonov has manned a tollbooth at the Boca Grande Causeway in Florida.  According to UPI.com, he is no longer there to receive the tolls from motorists on the highway.

His daughter posted on Facebook: "Please know that this is Sam's second retirement after also having been in the military for 26 years and he is well taken care of with benefits."  She continued, "he stated he would reach out to the local hospital to become a volunteer a few days a week to keep him busy," adding, "His only regret is no longer being able to interact with each of you and he wishes you all the best."

So, was Sam tired of being confined to a tollbooth day after day?  No, nothing like that.

Last week, he noticed he had undercharged a motorist driving with a trailer.  Is that it?  A simple calculation mistake.  No.  He put in $5.50 of his own money to make things right - that was what resulted in disciplinary action, which led to his firing.

Seems that Sam had a history of putting his own money toward tolls for drivers who came up short. He said that previous supervisors had asked him not to help customers pay their tolls, but he had never been formally disciplined.

Samsonov said that the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority told Samsonov that his work week would be reduced from five days to two days as punishment, and he was terminated when he refused.  He is quoted as saying, "If I can't be trusted for five days, how can I be trusted for two days?"

People.com reported that Sam had developed relationships with the drivers who would pass through. He said, "After 29 years, you can't help it," adding, "I gave children suckers 20 years ago. Now I'm giving those children suckers for their children."

Just don't help the drivers out when they can't pay the toll, I guess.

The magazine site reports that there has been support for Sam following his departure. The Facebook post by Samsonov's daughter has generated hundreds of likes, shares and comments. The Boca Beacon even printed an op-ed stated that Sam would be missed. 

Samsonov said he appreciated the support. "Makes me feel good," he said. "Makes me want to cry. But bite your tongue and you'll be OK."

I have had a few thoughts about this story.  I have to say that it seems that Sam was not treated fairly. He did something that seems honorable, and his supervisors decided to punish him.  This reminds me that sometimes doing the right thing, taking the proper course of action, may have negative consequences.   I am certainly not encouraging resisting authority in the workplace or breaking rules, but there may be times when we face punishment for doing good.  We have to be prepared to live and speak truth and walk in love, even when it is uncomfortable.

I also think of the concept of not being able to pay a penalty.  Sam stepped in occasionally to help drivers pay their tolls.  You might say that he paid what they could not.  Sound familiar?  To the Christian, we know Someone who paid a penalty for you and me that we could never pay. There is no amount of money, no collection of good works, that can satisfy the debt that we had to pay, the penalty for our sin against God.   But, Jesus stepped in, He gave His life on a cross, to be the perfect sacrifice, the satisfactory substitute, to pay for our sins.  The cost to us?  Salvation is a free gift, but in order to receive it, we surrender our lives to Him, asking Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of our lives, accepting His forgiveness of sins, and allowing Him to be our life.  

Jesus calls us to a life of surrender and a lifestyle of service, walking in obedience to His ways. We should be people known for our generosity, willing to humble ourselves before God and others, desiring to make Him known through the way that we live for Him.