I am headed south on I-85, and traffic is heavy. Two eighteen wheelers ahead of me are carrying similar loads. One is faster going up the hill, and the other is faster going down. But neither is going fast enough to pass the other. Traffic is building in the left lane as we all hope the next downhill stretch is long enough for the truck in our lane to pass and move over. I check my passenger side mirror and see a pickup truck barreling down the right lane passing cars at 80 MPH. As he approaches the slower eighteen wheeler in his lane, I know what is coming next. I close the gap between my car and the one ahead to an uncomfortably close distance, but apparently there is still room for him to squeeze in if I slam on my brakes. I am furious at his disregard for anything that is right.
Do I need to confess yet? I'm not sure, but I do know that Jesus felt anger. He was fully man complete with all the emotions that come with being human, but He was also fully God and knew exactly how to process those emotions.
If I follow being cut off by the pickup truck with tailgating him at an unsafe distance while flashing my high beams and blowing my horn, I believe that I am now sinning. But, if I back off and acknowledge that his rudeness will probably only cost me about 2 seconds of my day, I believe my temporary anger is not a sin.
There are far more serious things for me to be angry about. Someone harming a child is at the top of my list. It is only with Jesus' help that I can know how best to respond. I pray that he helps me with that today.
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