“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 ESV

I’ve become an insanely impatient driver. I attribute my driving frustrations to everything that happens on my drive to work each morning. What should be a 10-15 minute drive can be filled with anything from broken traffic lights to drivers who cut me off and then don’t accelerate up the large hill leading to the high school where I teach. 

But the scariest of all are the teenage drivers.

Imagine the scene in a movie or TV show where a character is casually driving along, usually after a happy moment in the plot, and then the camera zooms in as their face is lit by the headlight from an oncoming car, right before they’re t-boned.

I lived that on my way to work a few weeks ago. Thankfully, I wasn’t t-boned by the large SUV driven by a high school student who decided to turn left into oncoming traffic. It’s a good thing I’m always on the defensive when driving to work.

So, it’s no wonder I lost patience. But I realized I had a problem.

Because all the stress and aggression I felt in other areas of my life, specifically at the destination of these daily commute adventures, funneled into my driving. As I drove, my hands released the wheel and flailed about to display my frustration and impatience with other drivers.

Not the best way to start. . . or end. . . my day.

I needed a heart change.

God answers prayers, even short ones, and He heard my prayer for patience. And He gave me four simple words: Hands on the wheel.

I spoke those words, out loud, while driving. And when I said them, I did, indeed, put both hands on the steering wheel, which meant my hands weren’t revealing my frustration.

In turn, my frustration decreased, and my patience increased.

I could tell God was working in my heart when I was in the grocery store behind a shopper who, bless her heart, was slowly pushing her cart down the center of the aisle. Wouldn’t you know it, those same words popped into my head:

Hands on the wheel.

I almost laughed out loud at myself, but I’m working on controlling that in public as well.

The simple prayer I sent up worked and has continued to work in the days since. Those words enter my mind and are usually followed with a slight smile and a heavy sigh.

And God’s answering my prayer for a heart change, too. I no longer refer to other drivers as idiots. Instead, I refer to their driving technique as idiotic. That’s progress, right?

Where can you use more patience in your life? What are some simple words you can say as a reminder to be patient?

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 ESV