Pet Peeve

I am minding my own merry business driving in the right lane when a big rental truck jumps out of his left turning lane, which by the way was filled with cars trying to do the right thing and WAIT THEIR TURN to make a left onto the highway, almost clipping my bumper. I think to myself, "All right, he is new at this and doesn't realize the length of his truck", when he stops suddenly in front of me, nearly causing me to "eat his bumper". He then turns on his left signal and proceeds to merge back into the turning lane in front of ALL those other people waiting patiently (or not) to make the same left turn! Now if your wife is ready to deliver a baby or your child cut off a finger, I would completely understand the urgency to get in the front of a waiting line of people, but what pressing business could a single driver in a (big brand name) rental truck have that would warrant risking an accident and possibly MY DEATH? Could it be the "Me First" attitude that has become so prevalent in the aggressive drivers that permeate our roads and highways? Is it the "I'm so much more important than you" attitude that we see so frequently on the road, at Costco and other public places? Apart from the few legitimate excuses for, as previously mentioned, "getting to the front of the line" (which we called "buttsies" as kids), it is merely human selfishness that motivates such rudeness! It's the green-eyed monster living in all of us that says, "I deserve to get what I want, when I want, and you can't stop me!"

Before you say, "Hey, Pam, that's not me!", ask yourself how you react when someone cuts you off in traffic, like I experienced, or takes your parking space, or jumps in line in front of you in Walmart. I know how I react... indignant! "Hey, wait a minute! I was here! I should not be treated this way! My rights have been violated!" Yet, if I think back, I can recall cutting others off on the beltway, jumping in line at the grocery store very quickly because I saw another lady (with 4 kids and huge shopping cart full of groceries) heading toward the same cashier. It is the same selfish attitude that I experienced today with Mr. Rental Truck. So here's my pet peeve... my own self-righteousness! Ha! Never saw that one coming, did you? After being treated so poorly today as to be inconvenienced by another driver while driving to Walmart, I was very put out! As I passed by him, I gave him the "evil eye"... the "how dare you" stare displaying my extreme self-righteous for anyone to see. Not long afterwards, I was reminded of doing the same thing some time back. There's nothing like that to take the fight right out of ya! I was guilty of the same thing! But how kind of God to show me my self-righteousness and then to, once again, remind me of my forgiveness in Christ. What mercy! He says that my sin, He will remember no more! He has cast it into the depths of the sea. What a Savior! So if you were the guy in the rental truck on Rte. 85 in Frederick today who pulled such a dangerous stunt, I forgive you, and will you please forgive me for being so self-righteous?