Reflection: Driven to Extremes

I drive a fair amount in the city. Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, and occasionally the Bronx.

Some days this is more hectic than others. And I’m sure my driving agitates some people. I am careful, not aggressive. I think I’m being safe. The driver behind me may think I’m being annoying. You will never be mad at me for drag racing in traffic. You may be mad at me for taking too much time to make a left on Pennsylvania Avenue

The other day was a particularly noteworthy one, with one driver pulling up to offer me his colorful thoughts.

As Pastor Bernard teaches, life is a fight for territory.

Around the perimeter of anything good lies something bad, waiting to take over.

Around the perimeter of health lies sickness, waiting to take over.

Around the perimeter of order lies chaos, waiting to take over.

And around the perimeter of your commute lies MY commute, waiting to take over

It’s easy to take an adversarial stance in traffic.

Everybody is fighting to progress: we are all headed somewhere. We all want to get there.

Everybody is fighting for space: There’s a limited amount of it. Inevitably somebody is blocking the path between us and our destination.

Everybody is fighting with time: whether we are late, on schedule, or even early, we are all trying to get there quicker.

But one of the things I appreciate is that every day it gives me the opportunity to decide what kind of person I’m going to be:

1. Peacemaker, or peacebreaker?
2. Protector, or Thief?
3. Warrior for Christ, fighting the good fight of faith or Warrior for me, fighting to get what I want, and using that to justify ugly?

My fight with others is an inevitable reflection of the fight within.

In Romans 7, the Apostle Paul says he is at war with himself:

He says:

¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do… ²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² (7:15, 21).

Paul explains that the Law came to show him what he was incapable of accomplishing on his own

The law says You shall not covet. And because of that, his sinful nature produced in him every kind of coveting. He didn’t have this problem before God told him no. But “when the commandment came, sin sprang to life, and I died.”

Now there is no Commandment that specifically says “Thou shalt not rage on roads”, or “God loves a cheerful merger”, or “Blessed are those who tailgateth not, for they shall be called a safe distance behind.

But there are definitely instructions not to be selfish, to be responsible, and to be amiable, even generous.

What would It look like if we, literally, figuratively, and symbolically, took opportunities to let another person go in front of us?

What would it look like if we sought these opportunities out, or even asked God to show us how to bless someone when it would be in our interest not to?

What would it look like if we became generous peacemakers, just for today, secure in the knowledge that we can go back to being selfish and combative tomorrow?

Here’s a scripture seemingly out of season, and, decidedly out of place in 2025.

Proverbs 15:1 NIV

15 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Here’s another one.

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Solomon and Jesus both outline the choice of the believer. We can calm, or we can incite. We can extinguish the fire, or we can fan the flames.

I pray today we would practice the discipline of turning down the heat.

I pray we would steward over conflict and leave things more peaceful when we found them.

Travelling mercies beloved.

I’ll see you on the road.

(Photo Credit: Ryan Millier)