The Mature Route

1 A soft answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1 ESV)

I was in a bit of an altercation this week on the road. No one got hurt, but words were exchanged and I got brake checked and my steel Jeep bumper punched a nice hold in the other person’s bumper. It does not matter that I was not at fault, what matters is how I reacted to the situation. And I reacted like I typically do with anger.

I had a choice here, and I choose poorly. It didn’t help that I was in the middle of one of the worst bouts of flu I can remember. I just let my anger come out in full force.

Granted, my size provides a lot of altercation negation properties. But this was a woman, and women get angrier because I am sure they feel an even greater amount of provocation from a man my size, Near the end of the exchange she called me an “old …..” I will leave that last to your imagination. But you know, I thought about that later and I am older, and I should have taken the mature route.

Reflect on: how you respond to others when there are words said. Do you take the high road or just dig down deep to the ditch on the low road?