ANGER. The Struggle.
I often find myself growing impatient while driving. It could be that the car in front of me is doing 30mph when the sign plainly states 45mph. Or perhaps it's when I get behind the kind soul driving 45mph entering the onramp into 70mph traffic, while trying to text. And I always enjoy the one who is in such a hurry that they feel obligated to speed by and whip over in front of me right before their exit. Yeah, that brings a smile to my face every time! (sarcasm).
Four years ago, my wife and I were coming home from shopping and we were about to come to a stop at the main street that leads into our neighborhood. As we come to a stop, BOOM! We are hit from behind by someone traveling 45 mph. We are both in shock. My wife and I ask one another if we are okay and when we realize we are, the next words out of my wife's mouth were "stay calm." Rage set in instantly and I jumped out of the car and began approaching the guilty driver that had totaled the rear end of my wife's car. I was angry! But as I got closer, I could see that the driver was an older woman who was quite shaken. My perspective changed instantly and as she opened the door, I asked her if she was okay and began to calm her down. She was extremely apologetic and thanked both my wife and me for being so understanding. I could have easily thrown a fit and been accusatory and yelled at her, but why? What good would that have done and what kind of example would I have been? I can honestly say that the Holy Spirit was present because I was angry and I wanted to let her know that I was angry. But in an instant, that anger was gone and replaced with peace, patience, gentleness, self-control and patience.
The Word has a few things to say about patience and all the things that can come along with a lack of patience.
Love is patient; love is kind, love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant.
1 Corinthians 13:4
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
Proverbs 15:18
But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
Our circumstances do not dictate our actions, they reveal our character and the contents of our heart. This situation definitely revealed my heart. I was full of anger, lack of patience, and rage. Yet, because of my relationship with Christ, I have the Holy Spirit to act on my behalf. The Word defines Him as "our Helper". Again, as I approached the car of the driver whom hit us, my heart changed instantly without thought. I was calm and gentle in my reaction. God had stepped in and provided all that I needed to handle this situation in a loving way, a way that would glorify Him. This is another example of a circumstance that can easily happen on any given day, and we have a choice to make in the way we react.