Answers
By Billy Graham • January 18, 2018 • Topics: Anger
Q:
My uncle is active in his church and all that, but when he gets behind the wheel of his car he's an absolute maniac. Maybe you could say something about the need for safe driving. We're afraid he's going to kill someone one of these days.
A:
I’m afraid we’ve heard the statistics on vehicular deaths and injuries so often that we’ve almost grown indifferent—but they are appalling. Every year tens of thousands are killed on our roads, and hundreds of thousands more are injured—often for life. How can we be so unconcerned?
This is why safe driving isn’t just an important social issue—it’s also a moral and spiritual issue. If we ignore the rules of the road and endanger others by the way we drive, we are violating God’s mandate to avoid hurting others. Repeatedly the Bible commands us to do all we can to keep from injuring others, and to help preserve life. The Bible says, “Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Why does your uncle seemingly turn into a different person when he gets behind the wheel? One reason, I suspect, is because he’s never learned to control his impatience. Patience comes hard to some of us—and yet it’s essential to safe driving. The same can be said of anger; an angry driver is an unsafe driver, no matter where they are.
Ask God to give you an opportunity to share your concerns with your uncle—gently and yet openly. Ask others in the family to share their concerns also. Most of all, pray that he will realize his need to yield his whole life to Christ—including his emotions. The Bible says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is … gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
