Even Pastors Have Road Rage

I was driving to a committee meeting the other night.  If you are a Presbyterian reading this you know just how frequent those 6:45 PM treks to the church can be.  I wasn't running late and I wasn't in a particular hurry to reach my final destination.  At least I didn't think that I was until I got to a stoplight and c r e p t through the green light to make a right turn.  And then c r e p t through another green arrow, left turn.... then wound my way around a two lane road at a glacial pace behind a driver whose need for speed did not exceed the 15 mile per hour mark.  I found myself saying, "MOOOOVE!" or "GO" with multiple syllables like my son.  He wasn't in the car with me, so I should get points for not being ugly with my kiddo in the car.   Anyway, I had a thought: maybe a good book would be "How To Be Pastoral While Driving."  I'd read it.  And I said as much when I got to my committee meeting.  We had a good chuckle and then another woman said something to the effect of, "Yeah, that is the book you'd read but maybe you need one we all could read; "Even Pastors Get Road Rage!"

You heard that right.  Even pastors get road rage.  We are just as human as you are.  And we are just as impatient as you are.  And we are just as snarky as you are after a long day of work.  We get road rage.  We get exasperated in the grocery store.  We get toe-tapping irritated waiting at the doctor's office.  If you don't know us as ministers, if we aren't wearing a clerical collar; chances are that we can fly under the radar and be seen as "just another person" in these instances.

I share this because at the end of the day, we don't want to be put on a pedestal by everyone and expected to be model citizens every day or the most pious, patient, practical people in every moment.  I hope this doesn't make us less credible as your spiritual leaders.  I actually hope that it gives us a little more credibility.  I hope that it allows you to feel that you can come to us, confide in us, be your true self around us.  Because we find ourselves in the same life experiences day in and day out as you.  And we long to help you connect those mundane moments, whether good or bad, to the good news that we find in Christ. 

How would you be pastoral while driving?  Use your turn signal.  Let someone merge into traffic.  Give a friendly wave to your neighbor.  Give yourself an extra five minutes travel time so that those individuals who do not have a lead foot like you don't have to see your exasperation in their rearview.    I'll try to do better too.