20 Feet of Tar

I heard someone say the other day that the last thing to get sanctified on a Christian was his right foot. It's funny - because whenever I hear a speaker try to be self-deprecating and humble, the 'sin' he always refers to his driving issues, almost as if it's an acceptable form of behavior. Everyone in the audience nodded knowingly and laughed. Including myself.

But it isn't acceptable and it isn't funny - and the reason why is simple: it is a part of your life and every part is to be sanctified and under the direction of the Spirit. Think about it: when you're driving and you get into that little game of 'refuse to yield,' what you're fighting over with the next guy is 20 feet of tar. That's it. I know you view it as some sort of competitive moment in your life, and that's the problem. The unwillingness to yield.

I know it sounds trivial, but it is a sign of a greater issue - the fight to let someone else go ahead of you, even if they're a jerk. Remember, we all have '20 feet of tar' issues in our lives, things that we refuse to yield on. Something that we don't even want to recognize in ourselves. For that very reason this is one of the most difficult things to do. We can all laugh about our 'road rage' - but can we all laugh about our 'competitive spirit' or our inner lust or selfish ambition or covetousness?

Refusing to yield on 20 feet of tar is just a small evidence of a refusal to lose your rightful place on the road. It's exactly what Christ calls us to do - to be willing to be the least, to pursue peace with all that's within us, to cede the road to the other person. The competitive spirit is one of the biggest Christ-killers in our lives and in our churches. So the next time you get the urge to fight over that piece of tar, before you raise your finger to the sky - think of other things in your life that you are unwilling to yield to God. Use your anger to root out inward failures.