Road Rage

[aspen]

do you get angry on the road? Ever tried to teach someone a lesson? Have you been the focus of someone else’s road rage?

As Christians how do we witness Christ on the road, and avoid ‘losing it’ while driving?

 

[MetalMike]

I stay relatively calm for the most part, except for when somebody's tailgating me while I'm already doing 5 over the speed limit.

I don't have an answer to your question, though - I'm still trying to figure it out myself! LOL

 

[aspen]

Well, this is crazy, but right after I started this thread, I had an incident, myself! Now, I don’t drive, but this happened when I was walking my dog with my step daughter who has special needs. We were walking in our apartment complex and there was this incredibly loud shot of gunpowder - it was so loud my ears are still ringing. And I look around trying see and listen to what was happening and all of a sudden a huge firecracker lite up the sky all around a canopy of trees right above our heads. I was pissed. I yelled out “who did that?” And this guy is walking towards us with about 5 children with him and told me he did it. I just lost it. Right in front of the kids. I feel terrible about it now, but the guy was just a complete loser who put everyone’s life at risk. Anyway, it doesn’t excuse my behavior. So, weird timing.

 

[Acolyte]

Driving can bring out the worst in me. I repent, repent, repent.
5 years of paying 260 a month for a 4 year old jeep, 1 month of no payment and a buggar with his cellphone glued to his ear totals it. Even the 9k from insurance company left us with 5 years at 260 a month for a 4 year old new to us jeep.
My granddaughter and I behind a woman with her phone actually attached to her steering wheel, texting and driving. She was all over the road, couldn't stay in one lane. So frustrating. Pulling up next to her at the light I seen kids in the backseat. I lost it, (hanging my head). She said I was just on my phone. Then I really lost it. My g-daughter said, do I need to tell my dad about this? I said no baby, I'm really sorry.

We're only human, sometimes it jumps out. Some may be so blessed it never happens, the rest of us repent.

Blessings!

 

[JohnPaul]

Driving can bring out the worst in me. I repent, repent, repent.
5 years of paying 260 a month for a 4 year old jeep, 1 month of no payment and a buggar with his cellphone glued to his ear totals it. Even the 9k from insurance company left us with 5 years at 260 a month for a 4 year old new to us jeep.
My granddaughter and I behind a woman with her phone actually attached to her steering wheel, texting and driving. She was all over the road, couldn't stay in one lane. So frustrating. Pulling up next to her at the light I seen kids in the backseat. I lost it, (hanging my head). She said I was just on my phone. Then I really lost it. My g-daughter said, do I need to tell my dad about this? I said no baby, I'm really sorry.

We're only human, sometimes it jumps out. Some may be so blessed it never happens, the rest of us repent.

Blessings!

Yes we are all human, yesterday I lost my temper big time started cussing and swearing and yelling my whole complex probably heard me, I beg the Lords forgiveness.

 

[Stranger]

I think I can truthfully say that whenever I have had a sudden outburst of anger in either voice or physical confrontation, I always later regret it. Sometimes anger is necessary and must be acted on quickly. But the 'road rage' reaches another level of uncontrollable. Nothing good will come of it.

(Proverbs 25:28) "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."

Stranger

 

[Acolyte]

I think I can truthfully say that whenever I have had a sudden outburst of anger in either voice or physical confrontation, I always later regret it. Sometimes anger is necessary and must be acted on quickly. But the 'road rage' reaches another level of uncontrollable. Nothing good will come of it.

(Proverbs 25:28) "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."

Stranger

It is hard at times to control yourself when you see other people put unsuspecting innocent by-standers in danger.
I admonished her civilly, but I had to finish with the miserable words stupid b!#@%. For that, I'm truely sorry.

 

[Not me]

do you get angry on the road? Ever tried to teach someone a lesson? Have you been the focus of someone else’s road rage?

As Christians how do we witness Christ on the road, and avoid ‘losing it’ while driving?

I spend hours on the road traveling. And yes I have encountered many situations where my humanity, my fallen nature would like to express itself at a particular set of circumstances, people, or other drivers that I saw as wrong, ridiculous or just being dumb. But the Lord has ministered and is still ministering to me that that is what needs to die in me. My desire to have things my way. To just love and be kind and give way to the other drivers, whether I perceive them to be in the wrong or not. God has used it in my life as a great example of my self life wanting to push itself forth above and beyond loving my neighbor. I fail miserably at this time and time again, I see my self life or my fallen nature trying to raise it’s ugly head to which the command to “reckon myself dead and alive unto God ” is the path to victory going forward. The more I reckon myself dead in circumstances and situations the more and greater is my joy and peace and victory over the small things. Which in the course of time means victory over the large.

Best wishes as you struggle with yourself, may God grant you such an increase in your inner man that joy and peace would flood the soul in the little victories over self.

Blessings,

Much love in Christ, Not me

 

[Butterfly]

I do not drive , but I see my son getting mad when he drives - it's basically an issue of being quick tempered - and it's something that we are all able to experience. It's a reaction, rather than a response. So, I guess the question is, how do we stop our initial reactions to things - can we actually do that !?
Scripture tells us to 'hold every thought captive to the Lord ' But is a reaction ' a thought ' - or is it just an emotional, natural response which is out of our control.
I wonder whether it's because we don't always pray in advance of everyday encounters and tasks, we just go ahead and do things without even considering whether we need ' help ' with them. ( or is that just me !!! )
Rita

 

[farouk]

I do not drive , but I see my son getting mad when he drives - it's basically an issue of being quick tempered - and it's something that we are all able to experience. It's a reaction, rather than a response. So, I guess the question is, how do we stop our initial reactions to things - can we actually do that !?
Scripture tells us to 'hold every thought captive to the Lord ' But is a reaction ' a thought ' - or is it just an emotional, natural response which is out of our control.
I wonder whether it's because we don't always pray in advance of everyday encounters and tasks, we just go ahead and do things without even considering whether we need ' help ' with them. ( or is that just me !!! )
Rita

My wife and I pray before each road trip. (My driving is far from perfect, though...)

 

[aspen]

I think the world conditions us to react in a self serving way and our ego wants to “make things right” by “teaching that idiot a lesson”. The partial anonymity allow drivers to behave badly and our egos want to save face.

In my situation, I didn’t have any anonymity - I was already facing the guy on the street and I was angry. Instead of just allowing events to unfold, I reacted from a place of fear masked as anger. I was mad that so many people were put at risk that I made it worse by confronting the guy and probably scaring the kids even more. I also placed myself in danger because who knew what sort of person I was facing?

In any case, I learned that I have work to do.

 

[Stranger]

It is hard at times to control yourself when you see other people put unsuspecting innocent by-standers in danger.
I admonished her civilly, but I had to finish with the miserable words stupid b!#@%. For that, I'm truely sorry.

It is very hard. Usually my outburst of anger, that rage, will be for something that has offended me and not others. So in road rage, it is almost always me being the one offended and I do try and back off when I see and feel it coming on. I am a hard learner and the Lord knows it. And He put me through this lesson years ago.

Years ago I was driving in my pick-up down the highway going home from work. Tired and exhausted. My truck was old even then. Someone was tailgating me and in a hurry. I was in the slow lane because my truck was slow. I couldn't tell who all was in the car but there was two in front and others in the back seat.

They decided to pass and when they did there was one in the back that I thought flipped me off. In a burst of anger I did the same to him. And then they pulled in front of me and had to slow down because of traffic. I was still angry and continued flipping him off. Then as I got right next to them, as traffic slowed down almost to a stop, I could see it was a young boy, 12 to 13 maybe, and he appeared some what retarded, and he was just waving at me.

I felt terrible. I quickly began waving back at him in a friendly manner. But I was sick. And I remember it to this day. We don't know the people in the other car. We don't know what they are going through. We don't know why they made a mistake. We don't know why they are in a hurry. I now give lots of room for anyone to make a mistake on the highway.

I made a 35 mile trip one way, at one time, due to the death of someone close to me, to inform another. I don't remember any part of the trip there and back. How many laws did I break on that trip, I don't know. I feel a lot of people had to put up with a lot from me on that drive. And, I'm convinced that in that situation one shouldn't drive for at least 48 hours after learning of the death of someone close.

Stranger

 

[aspen]

It is very hard. Usually my outburst of anger, that rage, will be for something that has offended me and not others. So in road rage, it is almost always me being the one offended and I do try and back off when I see and feel it coming on. I am a hard learner and the Lord knows it. And He put me through this lesson years ago.

Years ago I was driving in my pick-up down the highway going home from work. Tired and exhausted. My truck was old even then. Someone was tailgating me and in a hurry. I was in the slow lane because my truck was slow. I couldn't tell who all was in the car but there was two in front and others in the back seat.

They decided to pass and when they did there was one in the back that I thought flipped me off. In a burst of anger I did the same to him. And then they pulled in front of me and had to slow down because of traffic. I was still angry and continued flipping him off. Then as I got right next to them, as traffic slowed down almost to a stop, I could see it was a young boy, 12 to 13 maybe, and he appeared some what retarded, and he was just waving at me.

I felt terrible. I quickly began waving back at him in a friendly manner. But I was sick. And I remember it to this day. We don't know the people in the other car. We don't know what they are going through. We don't know why they made a mistake. We don't know why they are in a hurry. I now give lots of room for anyone to make a mistake on the highway.

I made a 35 mile trip one way, at one time, due to the death of someone close to me, to inform another. I don't remember any part of the trip there and back. How many laws did I break on that trip, I don't know. I feel a lot of people had to put up with a lot from me on that drive. And, I'm convinced that in that situation one shouldn't drive for at least 48 hours after learning of the death of someone close.

Stranger

I know that feeling - horrible. But lesson learned

 

[brakelite]

I know if only one occasion when rage... And adrenaline... Took over. 35 years ago I was driving buses (still am). I had gone home for lunch, my motorbike parked in the drive way. After lunch I was getting on my bike, as I swung my leg over a dog latched on to the calf of my other leg. It hurt. Tore a hole in my uniform. A young German Shepherd from over the road. I immediately stormed over the road, entered the house without knocking, heard voices in a room to my left and entered, found gathered in the living room a group of about 8 head-hunters (local bike gang) quietly chatting among themselves. (This was the president's house). I tore into whoever was listening, threatened to kill the dog if ever I saw it near my property again, turned and left. A "sorry bro we'll fix it" was all I heard as I exited.
I cannot explain why or how that turned out as it did. Were there angels standing behind me thaey could see but not me? No idea, but that could have turned out very different.
Today, nothing phases me. I see all manner of stupidity on the road... But to react negatively is to invite the unknown. That is more than stupid. If that dog incident took place today I'd likely turn that dog into a pet.

 

[Reggie Belafonte]

I was just saying to my mum yesterday about a mate Peter who was driving a milk tanker back in 1984 with his boss radar with him and Peter cut some dude off badly and knew it was his fault totally from not paying attention, well Peter said this bloke was really wanting to pull him over and punch him out, and peter was getting worried as this was a big mean looking bloke.
So what does his boss do, he just says to hell with him and just pulls his pants down and hangs his bum right out the window, now Peter looked back in the mirror and seen this irate bloke just burst out in laughter, problem solve ! this bloke then just overtook and was on his way.

That's the accumulation of years of truck driving experience in dealing with situations on the roads at hand, Radar is the master.

Radar's worst day was when trucking out logs up a mountains steep dirt road, well the drive wheels lost traction about 20m near the top, Radar hit the button that locked the brakes on and jumped out of the cab only to watch his truck take off like a rocket down the hill and about 100mph get smash to pieces, as he sat on the road with the bark off him and bruised looking back at his truck, that's what hurt the most, not to mention that he could of easy of been in it, but for baling out directly.

 

[Helen]

Great thread @aspen.

I don’t drive these days...but I was a very impatient driver , and usually had one hand on the horn.
Even now I often try to reach it as my husband drives...but he slaps my hand away

I love all the life-stories on this thread....bless you all.

 

[farouk]

Great thread @aspen.

I don’t drive these days...but I was a very impatient driver , and usually had one hand on the horn.
Even now I often try to reach it as my husband drives...but he slaps my hand away

I love all the life-stories on this thread....bless you all.

I thought it was young men driving pick-up trucks on the freeway that did that...