What is it about traffic that turns even the most mild-mannered person into a maniacal monster? Is it the driver who moves too slowly? Or is it the one who drives too fast? Perhaps it's the constantly weaving lane-changer, the tailgater, or the one who doesn't use a turn signal and cuts in front of you unannounced.
Any one of these encounters can incite an average person to exhibit road rage, or at the very least elicit an extended honk of the horn. But God does not call us to be average.
God calls us to be patient with all people:
"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense" (Proverbs 19:11, NIV).
He asks us to be peacekeepers:
"Make every effort to live in peace with all [people] . . ." (Hebrews 12:14, NIV)
He does not want us to be easily offended:
"[Love] is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs" (1 Corinthians 13:5, NIV).
He insists that we do not retaliate:
"Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else" (1 Thessslonians 5:15, NIV).
I encourage you the next time a driver commits one of the above "sins" in your presence to ignore it, keep driving, and it'll all be over in about three seconds.
Any one of these encounters can incite an average person to exhibit road rage, or at the very least elicit an extended honk of the horn. But God does not call us to be average.
God calls us to be patient with all people:
"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense" (Proverbs 19:11, NIV).
He asks us to be peacekeepers:
"Make every effort to live in peace with all [people] . . ." (Hebrews 12:14, NIV)
He does not want us to be easily offended:
"[Love] is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs" (1 Corinthians 13:5, NIV).
He insists that we do not retaliate:
"Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else" (1 Thessslonians 5:15, NIV).
I encourage you the next time a driver commits one of the above "sins" in your presence to ignore it, keep driving, and it'll all be over in about three seconds.
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