I don’t know why, but every time I get behind the wheel of a car, the worst of human nature comes to the surface more easily. Is it the same for you?
Just yesterday, I had an incident while driving home from church. Another driver almost hit me because of his selfishness and bullying, then yelled at me as if it were my fault (with the obligatory comments about women drivers).
If I had thought about it fast enough, I would have yelled back, “I feel sorry for your wife!” (who was sitting next to him). It was better I didn’t, because he probably would have gotten out of the car and punched me! I must admit, to my shame, that I made it clear to him I thought he was crazy. As I drove away and tried to calm down, I knew I had a choice: feed my anger or let it go. With difficulty, I chose the latter. To that end, I didn’t mention the incident to anyone.
Anger is a natural response to injustice, mistreatment, and wrongs of every kind. Books have been written on the subject, and don’t worry, I’m not going to do so here. I just want to share my brief observation and conclusion: humans can’t handle anger well and should get rid of it as soon as possible. This doesn’t mean we should pretend it doesn’t exist or try to ignore our emotions. On the contrary, it’s important and healthy to acknowledge our anger … and then kiss it goodbye.
Let me use my admittedly minor car encounter as an illustration. The other driver’s selfish and arrogant behavior made me angry. Was I justified? Certainly. But God has made it clear what course of action we should take: don’t lash out and let go. I was half-successful with the first part (not thanks to any great self-control, but only because I didn’t think fast enough), but I was more obedient with the second part.
Now I know it’s very difficult to follow God’s desire in this matter. In fact, it often goes against every cell in our being. I have as much difficulty as anyone (just ask my roommate!).
Two truths help me. First, I remind myself that God will deal with the injustice or wrong that has happened. It won’t be ignored. He has made it clear that He will repay. Second, I tell myself it’s for my own good. Anger is like a poison that destroys the soul. I could have fed that anger yesterday, and it would have ruined my evening. Would that driver have been any worse off? No. But I would have let the anger gnaw at me, sucking the joy from my life. It’s not worth it!
I’m sure we all know some angry people. Are they happy? No. They make life difficult for themselves and for everyone around them. Yesterday’s driver fits that group, and I even feel compassion for him. Who wants to live like that? I don’t. God doesn’t want us to, either. That’s why He’s made it clear what we should do. I’ll repeat it: don’t lash out and let anger go.