Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Romans 5:9-11

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If someone cuts you off in traffic, what is your typical response? If you have children and have had to wait in the dreaded school pick-up line only to have a parent swoop in front of the street’s long line of cars to grab their kid, how does that make you feel? When you’re going through security at the airport, and the guy in front of you keeps going back and forth through the metal detector—first for his watch, then his belt, then the random items in his pockets—do you feel the frustration rise to the surface pretty quickly?

I could name endless scenarios from our daily lives that test us. But you get my point. What do we do in these situations? On good days, we let them go. On mediocre days,  they can push us further down the anger road. On days when we’ve already been walking that road awhile, these are the very situations that can tip us over into unwarranted rage, aren’t they? 

This is when we need a heavenly perspective. We need to be reminded that we were once enemies of God, and only through the death of our perfect Savior have we been invited into God’s beautiful story. It’s one of love, redemption, reconciliation, care, and hope. While we were still sinners, when we deserved nothing but death, He made the ultimate sacrifice for us to be with Him—and not just for eternity, but in the here and now. He has written a better story for us. 

So perhaps our response to those irritating, frustrating scenarios is to participate in telling a better story. If God has given us a new one, maybe our response is to do the same. 

When the car cuts you off in traffic, try telling yourself maybe they are rushing because time management is a serious struggle, and now their job is on the line. When the parent cuts the school line, try telling yourself maybe that’s a work-outside-the-home mom who is squeezing in school pick-up between meetings she has no control over scheduling. Perhaps the guy at the airport is attempting to reconcile with an adult child he hasn’t seen in years, and this is his first time flying—a monumental effort. 

Next Steps

Telling a better story humanizes those who offend us and helps us grow in empathy—a critical component of effective peacemaking. This week, pay close attention to how you feel when (inevitably) someone offends you and practice telling a better story. Make a mental note—better yet, write down—what it felt like to do so. Maybe this will become a new habit.