Road Rage

James 1:20 (NIV)
…because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

Road rage – it can easily get the best of you. Like foam rising up out of a soda glass it wells up and spills out before we can stop it.

It’s amazing how quickly anger can escalate inside of us. For many of us it happens pretty readily on the road.

I was its victim the other day. Just three car lengths back at a stop light waiting for the green. Of course I was late which just fueled the fire. The person in the sports car in front of me was clearly engaged…with her phone. The light which is known to be short turned green and there she sat. I thought it first, “Green light!” Then I barked it out loud as the swelling tide was building inside me. Here, we rarely use our horns, unlike Chicago where I received my training in traffic courtesy. There, green often means ‘honk.’ I gave her the more friendly toot-toot though the sirens in my heart were screaming. She squealed through the intersection as the light turned red and there I sat staring at the light – fuming. “Red! How appropriate,” I thought.

The spiritual struggle also rages. Why is it that my faith often seems to unhitch when I get in the car? I’ve found a few things that seem to help, like talking to God before ever turning the key or praying for those who cut me off. Sometimes when I feel caught up in emotion I’ll simply pull over for a short time. Most of all, I remember what it says in James that my anger isn’t going to accomplish anything for God. It might even get me into trouble.

Proverbs 29:11 (NIV)
Fools give full vent to their rage,
but the wise bring calm in the end.

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