I can’t really say I was surprised. Rather, it was one of those what will they think of next moments. This past week, the news came that Road Rage is not really anyone’s fault. Instead, like most of the character flaws for which we don’t want to take the blame, it’s now become a medical problem, something beyond our control.
As if we didn’t have enough to worry about with all the new diseases that have sprung up over the past few years, now we have IED (Intermittent Explosive Disorder), and it reportedly afflicts 16 million Americans, causing them to lose their temper, or explode intermittently. So now, those who choose to be rude, overly aggressive, or abusive behind the wheel have a legitimate excuse. It’s not my fault. I can’t help my poor behavior. I have IED.
But rest assured, help will soon be on the way for those suffering from IED. You see, the first step is inventing and naming the new malady. Creating the problem. The next step is marketing the prescription drug to fix it. Or should I say, to control, or maintain it. Yes, maintain will be a better word, because the big pharmaceutical companies will certainly want to create repeat customers (customers for life, actually) for their new pill. Insurance companies will be required to cover the cost of the new, essential medication to keep this horrible disease under control. People will use the new medication to manage their illness, and God forbid they were ever to run out of their prescription.
I may be cynical, but it would be my guess that the new prescription has already been developed behind the scenes, and it’s just waiting to be introduced as the savior miracle drug when the marketing department has all their ducks in a row. It’s the new game in America: do a bogus scientific study (on government grant money), discover a medical cause to excuse bad behavior, name the new disease, and market a drug to manage it. Money, money, money!
Americans, long since brainwashed by the modern medical system, buy into this plan hook, line, and sinker. Common sense goes out the window when an easy fix presents itself as a chance to excuse (but continue on in) our sin. Instead of taking personal responsibility for our actions, if there’s a miracle pill out there, we line up to buy it. Forget about the harm these drugs might be doing to our bodies, or the harm our sinful actions are doing to our souls. It’s much easier to adopt a victim mentality…not only are we no longer held liable for our actions, but we can also actually get sympathy from others! What a deal!
Folks, there’s a much more reasonable explanation for Road Rage. It is caused by the same thing that wreaks havoc in all areas of life, in all areas of the world. Yes, it is a worldwide epidemic, and there is no prescription drug to cure it. It’s a particularly insidious disease; here is just a partial list of its results: broken relationships, abuse and neglect of children, divorce, abortion, homosexuality, adultery, sexually transmitted diseases, uncontrolled credit card debt, bankruptcy, dishonest business dealings, homelessness, loneliness, ungodliness…and death.
What is the name of this disorder? It’s called Selfishness. The bad news: It’s a genetic birth defect and every human being on earth is born with it. The good news: Selfishness CAN be managed successfully without drugs or surgery.
To illustrate how every human being is born with this defect, consider a young child. From the time they can sit up and play with a toy, the symptoms are obvious. Get two or more kids together with a book, a toy, or a stuffed animal. From the time they learn to speak one-syllable words, you’ll hear it: one emphatically declaring to the other, MINE!
How many children’s books have been written to teach the value of sharing, which leads to making friends, which leads to building more substantial relationships later in life? It’s a concept every parent should work to instill in their children…sharing, playing nicely with others… It’s the foundation of a happy, healthy life.
The problem is, in affluent, modern-day America, too many parents have neglected to teach this life skill. Dare I say, too many parents themselves have the MINE! mentality. Because they want more things, the traditional family model has been abandoned, and latchkey kids created. No longer is Mom at home to raise the children and instill the important values that build strong character. With both parents working full time outside the home, stress is commonplace — not only do they have stress trying to make ends meet in the household as they chase the elusive affluent lifestyle, but there’s no more family bonding time, because by the time the day is done, the weary parents just want to go to bed and collapse. This creates more stress – and guilt – because they instinctively realize that now they have their things to play with, but in the process the family is falling apart.
Infidelity in marriage is an epidemic in itself – once again, caused by the selfishness virus. At one time it was primarily the men who cheated on their wives. Now, it’s almost equal, with more and more wives not only being unfaithful, but actually choosing to leave their children behind too as they take off with a new lover.
Equally as shameful is the modern trend of women actually CHOOSING to have children out of wedlock. In their selfishness, they doom their child to a life without a father, because they view a Dad as unimportant, unnecessary. The daycare centers thrive and multiply as more and more parents selfishly choose to have children with no intention of actually raising them. How successful can you be at ANYTHING if you spend no time doing it? Can you learn to play the piano without ever practicing? Can you maintain a job if you’re not there every day? Can you properly raise your child when he’s in daycare all day and you see him for a couple hours in the evening before you put him to bed?
The story is told of the woman who had her son in daycare while she was off to work forty hours a week. She was a single mother, never bothering to marry the child’s biological father. She was sad when he began to eat solid food, and she missed it. She was bothered when her son learned to take his first steps, and she wasn’t there. But nothing changed until one day she went to pick up her son after work and the child clung to the daycare worker, crying and refusing to go with his Mom, instead calling the daycare worker Mommy.
It’s a recipe for disaster, and our society is seeing the results of this lifestyle today. Because you simply can’t instill important values, and you can’t raise a godly child to be a man or woman of character if you’re never there. What you end up with is a selfish, self-centered, mixed-up kid, stressed out, with no foundation and no morals. Rest assured, there’s a drug out there for just about anything, but remember, you can mask the symptoms with a prescription, but healing the heart and soul takes a bit more effort.
When I read the Scriptures, I find the overall message of Christ was selflessness, dying to self, doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, taking up your cross daily.
What does that mean in real life? When you take up your cross and follow Christ, you commit to putting your own self-interests aside, as you strive to become more like Him. You commit to learning to sacrifice your own selfish desires in favor of serving others. Because we’re born inherently selfish, this is not an easy task. As the Lord explained in Matthew 7:13-14, you can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.
As I look at our modern American culture, the phrase highway to hell quickly comes to mind. Everyone is pushing and fighting their way to the head of the line, each one out for their own interests, and when things get tough, what could be a better description for our practice of easing our pain and sorrow with drugs than hell itself?
People, you can call it IED if you want; you can call it an alternative lifestyle if you want, you can call it a disease or an illness, you can call it your right to choose, and you can call yourself a victim if you want. You can even find excuses and reasons not to believe the Bible or not to believe in God. That’s fine. Go ahead. That doesn’t change the price of beans. But consider this: if you continue to do what you’ve always done, you’ll continue to receive the same results you’ve always received. You can live life the way you’ve been living it, full speed ahead on the highway to hell; selfishly, getting all you can get, having fun, enjoying your toys, calling them MINE! If you start to feel bad, you can certainly see a doctor, and he’ll readily diagnose you and declare your problems not your fault and give you something to mask your symptoms.
Or you can take the narrow road. That’s what you really need, because until you learn the greatest lesson Christ endeavored to teach, you’re destined for a life of turmoil and pain.
Rather than following the world’s plan of building up self, celebrating self, becoming self-aware, building your self-esteem, Christ says, get the focus OFF yourself. Consider the other person and their feelings. Serve them. Bless them. Pray for your enemies and those that persecute you. Can you imagine the difference this would make in the world, if more people took this route? What would happen in your marriage if you always put your spouse first, ahead of your needs and wants? What would happen in your family if your children put the others’ feelings ahead of their own? What if we loved and served others even when, in our judgement, they didn’t deserve it? What if, when we prayed, we spent more time praying for, and asking God’s blessing on others than we did for our own wants, desires, entertainment, comfort and enjoyment?
Friends, are you at the breaking point today? Are you tired and stressed out? Are you realizing, finally, that maybe you’ve been running on the highway to hell, even though you consider yourself a Christian? Are you ready to forsake the world’s way for God’s way? Do you finally want peace in your soul, rather than drugs in your bloodstream?
Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11: 28-30).
There IS a yoke. There is a cross to carry, and you need to pick it up daily, because it doesn’t come naturally to our sinful hearts. But the end result is God’s peace – and life. And now the choice is yours.
