Driving

I like driving for the most part. Tonight was another story. I was coming out of the parking lot at work, when a car turned in front of me when I was only a car length away. I hate having to step on my brake like that. This wouldn’t have been so bad, if not literally two minutes later it happened again. Now I would love to say at this point my first reaction was one of blessing for those who cut in front of me and nearly caused me to crash.

The growth God is doing in me is that after the second car almost caused an accident, I did ask Him to bless those two drivers and protect them from themselves. In the past, I would have just called them, “stupid” and continue on my way, angry that it happened.

How about people who go ten to fifteen miles per hour slower than the rest of the world on the highway. When everyone passes them, you figure they would realize they are going too slow.

I got healed of that one when I was driving my last car. The car wouldn’t go more than fifty miles an hour on the highway. When the zillions of cars on the highway would pass me, I was grateful that looks couldn’t kill. So when a car is going slow, I imagine that maybe they are having car trouble instead of them being bad drivers. Okay . . . I’m still working on that one, but the point is I’m getting better. It's a gradual progression.

But my ultimate pet peeve is when I’m doing the speed limit and a car drives as close as it possibly can get to the back end of my car and stays there. In my younger days, I would just slow down to make them a little nuts then speed up and wouldn’t let them pass me. I’ve come a long way baby.

I realized years ago that I stopped putting Christian bumper stickers on my car because I was not a good witness. Something had to change. I wish I could blame it on being a New Yorker, but it was one of those areas I needed to grow in. I needed to be a kinder and a safer driver. I was convicted not to just drive the speed limit, but to also react better to other drivers that I found to be lacking in their driving skills. I still don’t put Christian bumper stickers on my car, but it’s because I don’t like bumper stickers.

So the next time you’re cut off, or driving behind someone who’s going too slow, remember that Jesus loves them too. Send a blessing towards them and see what happens. Crazy drivers won’t change, but your heart can. Isn’t that what’s important?

© Nadine Z. 2006