Is road rage curable?

If you're doubting that human beings are inherently sinful, look no further than your nearest freeway on-ramp or busy intersection to confirm the worst. There's rarely a day that goes by that you won't see someone driving who is impatient, selfish, or just plain stupid, and it's a constant struggle to keep a good attitude. I live in Colorado Springs, where the traffic is fairly mild and my commute to work consists of only hopping two exits north on the Interstate, and yet I feel the constant battle of finagling my way around town without getting offended or frustrated.

With the exception of perhaps the Internet (okay, and maybe reality shows), people seem to be at their worst when behind the wheel. And I have to admit, I am probably the chief sinner, second only to the guy in the supped-up Subaru who cut me off on the way to the gym the other day. But seriously, I see the worst sides of myself come out when dealing with other cars on the road. It's not just the purposely rude and selfish people who irritate me, it's also the spaced-out ones who seemed to notice at the last minute that they had to merge into my lane. Or it's the woman who is applying mascara and apparently giving herself a full makeover instead of pressing down on the accelerator once the light turns green. 

I'm not the type of person who gets angered easily...except when it comes to other drivers. Perhaps all of the frustrations of the day or week are channeled into this one area of my life, and then poof! something just sets me off. I don't cuss them out or make rude gestures. Instead, I seethe inside of the confines of my vehicle, shouting to no one in particular, "People are such morons! Ugh!" On other days, my outburst may be a bit tamer, where I resort to sarcastic comments like, "Calm down there, Zippy" or "That has to be the ugliest car I have ever seen."  Never mind that the other driver can't hear me -- or that I don't drive the most beautiful of cars -- I suppose I must feel that by making a snide comment I can somehow get back at them.

The severity of my insults tends to coincide with my overall stress level for that day. And it begs the question, if I am getting upset with total strangers for just being imperfect humans, what is going on in my heart? In the Gospel of Matthew, it states "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." If that's the case, I have a much bigger problem than a mini-van cutting me off outside the church parking lot (although, isn't that discouraging? Really, people!).  

I used to sport a Christian fish symbol on the back of my car. I think it might have made me more accountable. I'm not exactly sure why we Christians like slapping fish, doves, and bumper stickers about the rapture on our vehicles -- maybe it's so we feel like we belong or we just need to take a stand for what we believe in some way. And while I doubt many have gotten saved by reading a sign on a person's car, it does identify you to the rest of the world as one of those "Christians." Yet many Christians refuse to identify themselves in such a way. I started hearing, "I don't have a fish symbol on my car because I speed so much" or because "I'm kind of a crazy driver." Last I checked, Christians don't go to a special driving school to become better drivers than the rest of the world. They're just people...but don't we expect them to be the models of perfection? I get way angrier when I get cut off by a vehicle displaying a bright yellow Q102.7 (our Christian radio station) sticker than I do a car without one.

If I'm honest, I'm not always the most considerate or attentive driver myself. I sometimes take a while to step on the gas because I'm daydreaming, and I do change lanes at the last minute because I wasn't thinking ahead. I expect people to extend grace to me, but do I always extend it back to them? Sometimes, yes. I should know this better than most people because of my job, but there are a lot of hurting people out there, and who knows what form of hell on earth they are experiencing. Maybe they're barely hanging by a thread emotionally, mentally, or spiritually, and all we can see from our perspective is a stupid driver. Not that this should excuse bad behavior, but it should make you think twice before you jump to conclusions and insult their car.