Grabby Hands

Saw two cars almost collide today on the parkway, trying to merge into the same space from opposite directions. Seemed to me like a keen analogy of how we get ourselves into trouble. Each of us live in our own little imaginary kingdoms where we fancy ourselves to be wise rulers. Other people are allowed to visit and we may delude ourselves that we are benevolent dictators, caring for our loved ones, serving our neighbors. But ultimately we behave as if our agenda were of primary importance. And since everyone is doing that, friction is inevitable. Eventually we will find ourselves trying to occupy the same space on the road as someone else. And rather than loving compassion, I almost always react with anger and self-righteousness. I never want to yield, I always want to grab what I think is mine. I always want to justify, to defend my point, to insist that the other person is mistaken.
Sometimes that is even true; sometimes the other is in fact wrong. And there may even be times when God will use me to show someone else their error. But how rare that must be, compared to my constant desire to be right, my insistence that I always occupy the moral high ground.
It's taken me almost 40 years to figure out that I can be technically right, and still be wrong. That even good things can be idols if they prevent me from loving God and loving my neighbor.

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