Articles
Sometimes I'm That Guy
Probably the most frequently and intensely frustrated we get with others is while driving. Some do the most foolish and reckless things behind the wheel. And when their idiocy puts me and/or my family at risk, I get a little bothered by it.
But to help rein in that irritation, I have begun to say to myself, “Sometimes I’m that guy.” Now, I don’t say that regarding the most egregious carelessness because I do not handle my vehicle in such a manner. But there are smaller mistakes of which I am guilty upon occasion. When I see another driver do such things, I realize that if I make an exception for myself, so I should for him. If nothing else, it helps curb my irritation.
In a similar vein, the Lord says, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck out of your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?” (Mt 7:3-4). The Lord is warning us against unfair and hypocritical judgments, and this begins with being honest with ourselves. “Am I guilty of the same thing about which I criticize others?”
Of course, the application extends beyond driving. But the bottom line is to try and understand the faults of others by examining our own. Only then do we have the moral high ground to help correct the waywardness of others.
