Revengeance Is Mine

I am pretty even-keeled guy. My temperament is one of trying to not over-react to things, take a deep breath, and wait until the initial rush of anger subsides before responding. Good attributes for a school counselor. Can't say I was so tranquil out on the rugby field when I played but otherwise I am chill.

Here is an article about revenge from Lifehacker. There is one place where anger sometimes gets the best of me...when I drive and someone does something intentionally dangerous. Like drive less than a car-length from the back of my bumper at a high rate of speed. That p____s me off.

I have been hit from the back twice in the last four years and been in two hit-and-run accidents where I was completely and totally innocent. So, I am a little defensive. All of the other drivers acted dangerously intentionally...it was not just a dumb driving mistake where I am inclined to treat it as just one of those things. My automotive anger is actually something I have been praying about. I want to learn to respond in a more healthy and holy manner. God provided an opportunity the other day.

I was driving towards the Route 30 bridge from Columbia to Wrightsville over the Susquehanna River. I was in the right lane and glanced out of my left eye and completely missed seeing a silver car literally less than a couple of feet behind another silver car. I don't see well out of my left eye, so I didn't see car two. When I went to get into the passing lane, I looked back again as I was changing lanes, and then saw the other car. I swerved, he swerved, we all swerved.

An accident was avoided. I was definitely mostly at fault, however driver number two was driving dangerously by trailing the first car so closely. He was in my blind spot, had a silver car, and both cars were going well above the posted speed limit. He then gets in front of me then exits off onto 441. He proceeded to give me the finger for at least 30 seconds, all the while cursing me. That bird was thrown. I felt like my cerebellum was being branded like a steer with a middle-finger poker.

Since I have been in prayer about it, I decided to not retaliate. Plus, the dude looked a little nuts. I wasn't looking to engage him in a dogfight of sorts on the cattle chutes on the bridge (it is being repaired). If I had birded him back, I can pretty much guarantee that he would have floored it back onto 30 and chased me down. Then what? Nothing good would have come from it. I let it go and acknowledged his displeasure by a friendly wave.

In anger, it is easy to burn a bridge, send a scalding email, escalate a conflict. The Jesus way is to never seek to even a score through a spirit of retaliation and revenge. Consequences can be issued coolly and with kindness if need be after the high tide of vehemence recedes. Better to wait and contemplate and then act. Or, if it does not involve a relationship of consequence, let it go and move on. If I don't have to deal with the person again, I more often than not just walk away.

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