Solomon's Insight on Road Rage?
Proverbs Chapter 22
Scripture
Proverbs chapter 22:24-25
"Don't hang out with angry people; don't keep company with hotheads. Bad temper is contagious— don't get infected."
OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS
Maybe it is just me but it seems like there are a lot more angry people in the world? Everywhere you turn people are overreacting to normal everyday situations with anger and often even with violence. I understand people being annoyed or even being disappointed or upset but why rage?
- "Tailgating, giving the finger, outright violence--Americans grow more likely to take out their frustrations on other drivers."~US News and World Reports
- "Road rage is commonly defined as a societal condition where motorists lose their temper in reaction to a traffic disturbance."~Iowa DOT
- "250,000 people have been killed in traffic since 1990. While the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that two thirds of fatalities are at least partially caused by aggressive driving."~ US News and World Reports
There is even a website http://roadragers.com dedicated to road rage. This website gives you an opportunity to turn in aggressive and unsafe drivers and report your incident. Filing an online report is intended to give you a platform to release your own pent up aggression. You can even take a quiz to rate your own road rage level.
How about you? Do you get angry in your car? I have gotten upset when somebody cuts me off in traffic and have even started to imagine that somehow this person had planned their maneuver as a scheduled event to ruin my day or make me late?
Have you ever thought how you could get them back? Have you honked your horn or even pulled around them and returned the favor by cutting them off?
Solomon tells us in Proverbs 22:24-25 that angry behavior is contagious. Anger breeds anger. Anger is an emotion that other people can feed off of. When someone gets in your face the world teaches us that we are supposed to do the same right? You cut me off- I cut you off- You blow your horn- I flip you off- and so on, and so on…
Tell me what would happen if you decided to show kindness and be courteous instead of displaying anger? Maybe the other person wouldn’t even notice but what would take place in your own car? Next time you feel like accelerating to take revenge why not crank up your praise and worship music and sing at the top of your lungs instead?
I guess you just have to weigh the outcomes and ask yourself; “do I want peace or turmoil? Do I want to experience frustration or relaxation?”
Prayer
Lord, help me to listen to your Holy Spirit. I want to reflect you Jesus and how you would treat people. Fill me with your peace! Remind me about the consequences of my anger and help me to choose patience instead!
I am out here...enjoying the posts!
I do think that sometimes it is necessary to combine the observations and application to one thought sequence. Good idea. I am a little frightened by the gigantic font, but I will get over it!
I usually like to do my own quiet time before I dive into your blog, so the late afternoon is fine with me!
Just keep the blog going...it motivates me to stay on course. My DBRAG group is usually a day in the rear or in advance so they are not as helpful!! :)
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Anonymous |
11:29 PM