CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One day I had a serious episode of road rage. I was driving and someone cut me off. Pulling up next to the car I noticed the driver was on the phone talking and that infuriated me even more.
My wife was in the car with me that day and sat in silence. I was hoping she was just as angry. I mean, did she just see what I saw? Did she not have anything to say? As I sat there I found myself getting mad at her as well for not feeling what I felt. I had to ask, "Stacia did you see what she did"? She replied "yes". I then said, "why aren't you mad, she almost hit us!" What she said after that changed everything.
She said, "what you saw was her on the phone, distracted. But you don't know what news she could've just received. Maybe she lost a loved one, maybe a negative diagnosis, maybe she just lost her job, every car has a story, and every door (house) as an issue they are confronting. Current conditions create distractions be patient and have grace."
Talk about a gut check! I clearly understood where she was coming from firsthand when months later I ran a stop sign, distracted, thinking about my son who at the time was battling cancer. Remember this: You may see a distraction, but have grace and see a life story instead.