Have you ever noticed how quickly our Christian witness can evaporate the moment someone cuts us off in traffic? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, especially after hearing something powerful on The Bible Recap podcast.
Tara-Leigh Cobble shared a story about her friend who has developed quite the unusual traffic habit. Whenever someone cuts her off, instead of responding with frustration, she simply says something similar to, “I’m a Christian, go on ahead.” What a beautiful reminder for those unexpected moments when our patience is tested on the highway!
This story got me reflecting on some recent experiences riding with friends. Twice in the past week I witnessed drivers who responded to traffic challenges in not so kind ways. In one case, we were cruising down the interstate when a car that had been pulled over suddenly merged back into traffic at an inopportune moment. My friend immediately laid on the horn, not as a safety warning (she was already in the next lane), but as an expression of frustration.
In another instance, we were driving on a feeder road when someone pulled out of a parking lot in front of us. Again, the response was an angry honk and some choice words long after the chance of collision had passed. In both situations, the horn wasn’t used to prevent an accident—it was used to communicate anger and assign blame.
What Does Scripture Say?
When I think about these contrasting approaches, I can’t help but turn to Scripture for guidance. In Ephesians 4:31-32, Paul writes: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Isn’t it interesting how Paul connects forgiveness with our own experience of being forgiven? When someone cuts us off in traffic, they might deserve our frustration—but then again, don’t we all deserve God’s frustration too? Yet He extends grace to us daily.
Proverbs 15:1 reminds us that “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Even though the other driver can’t hear our gentle words inside our car, our response still matters. It’s shaping our own hearts and influencing anyone traveling with us.
Grace in the Fast Lane
I’ve started to realize that traffic situations offer us mini spiritual formation moments throughout our day. James 1:19-20 tells us: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
Being “slow to become angry” is particularly challenging when we’re already going 70 mph! But these moments reveal what’s really in our hearts. Jesus said in Luke 6:45, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”That honk of frustration? It’s coming from somewhere inside us.
Practical Steps Forward
So how can we practically respond like Tara-Leigh’s friend? Here are some thoughts:
1. Prepare your heart before driving. Pray that God would help you respond with grace to unexpected situations.
2. Create a new habit. Maybe adopt that phrase: “I’m a Christian, go on ahead.” Or develop your own grace-filled response.
3. Remember Colossians 3:12-13: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
4. Use your horn only for safety, not to express anger or assign blame.
The next time someone cuts you off, remember that your response isn’t just about them—it’s about your witness to others in the car, your own spiritual formation, and ultimately, your relationship with God.
As Philippians 2:14-15 encourages us: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.”
Maybe the highway is exactly where our light needs to shine brightest.
What about you? Have you found ways to respond with grace in frustrating traffic situations? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
