I think that was my main point. At least I think it was. It’s very similar to the whole “plank in your own eye” concept.

Although it’s difficult, I am trying to work on figuring out my own issues, the reasons I do things, the way that I think, etc. It’s not easy, that’s for sure.

“I get frustrated when someone cuts me off (I see that this is a common theme in what makes people angry) I do it sometimes myself.”

I would say a couple of things to this:
First off, I know for me that when I get angry with people/situations, I have found that there is ALWAYS a correlation.

The second, and more difficult thing is in understanding why or where that correlation exists. I would think of it in terms of this. It’s not that you get angry about people cutting you off and you sometimes do it yourself…but rather, there is something inside of you that makes you angry with people who cut you off. This same thing that causes you to be angry is probably also related to why you cut people off.

I’ll speak from my own experience. I get angry at people who don’t use a blinker. I ALWAYS use a blinker. On the outside you might say that there is no correlation. But you need to dig deeper. One thing I have learned about myself is that I have (what I would consider) very high standards for myself (who doesn’t?). In getting angry with people who don’t use their blinker, I realize that I have very high standards for others as well. Some might say that high standards are great. Well, not in the way that I am using them. One thing that I have realized about myself is that I have a lot of fear when it comes to not meeting standards. Standards of my family, my friends, myself, and ultimately my God. The problem with this is that when it comes to God his standard is brokenness. And my standard is to ALWAYS use a blinker. This is obviously a silly example but it shows a much deeper issue of how afraid I am to rest in Christ’s merit and exist under Him AS my standard. In this example, I have learned that I am much more comfortable presenting myself to God with my standards rather than his. The natural result of this is that I very naturally apply my standards to the entire world around me. So it is funny how I can go from getting pissed at someone not using their blinker to understanding that I have created a standard for myself to stand outside of faith.

In this class that I am teaching on the fall we discussed this concept: “Most people have a very high belief in the fall….. when it comes to others.” Of course we have a very low belief when it comes to our self. This exercise was designed to help link the two with the goal of understanding my own brokenness and as a results FULLY embracing the Gospel.

Maybe these are dumb examples or maybe I “misunderstood” you and this wasn’t the point you were trying to make and I am one of the “not very intelligent people” you were referring to.

Hey there’s a guy on tv wearing a jetpack flying over the Royal Gorge!!

Hey there is a guy with a jetpack on tv flying over the Royal Gorge!!

I get angry at people who are inefficient. I have realized that this is because I have a VERY HIGH value for efficiency. I have also realized that I have such a high value for this is because it is something that I am good at and when I focus at it I am able to take my mind off of one of the many ways that I am completely un-developed. One of these ways that I am un-developed is when it comes to wanting a very real and personal friendship with God. I find that I get scared of God (like the Israelites on Mt Sinai.) SOOOO…in a sense getting angry at people who are inefficient is a way that I can avoid dealing with my inability to face God. Weird.