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    I can get worked up over the silliest things. I can take personally what was totally an anonymous slight, insult, or “rudity.” So as I looked in my rear view mirror watching a driver bob and weave, scrounging others out of his way, I had a little talk with myself.

    “Phil, this guy is just a rude driver.”

    “He’s doing this to everybody.”

    “He’s not doing this personally to you.”

    For some reason, rude and careless drivers push my button. It doesn’t take much for the acid meter in my stomach to go off, my jaw to clinch, and the “flesh” in me to want to take over.

    “Sooner or later he’ll get his,” I find myself thinking. Then I’m horrified at what I just thought!

    But today, when this careless driver whipped from the lane on my left to the lane on my right and then back to the lane in front of me, I eased off the gas, let him in and didn’t worry about it. I refused to let his rudeness ruin my day. “It’s not worth the heartburn,” I told myself. I was right.

    Whether it’s a bad driver, a sarcastic and cutting comment, someone who cuts in front of you in line, an insult from a rival, a manipulative word or glance from a family member, or a “polite” putdown by someone you admire, most of the time it’s not worth the heartburn to get worked up over it.

    What I mean is very simple: it’s not usually the slights or slams from others that get us in trouble in our hearts, it’s our dwelling, stewing, personalizing, and working ourselves up over the offense that’s the real problem.

Trying to “get even” nearly always makes things “even worse!”

    I’m not talking about lying down and irresponsibly enabling someone to run over us with evil. The apostle Paul took advantage of his legal protection under Roman law to protect himself and his ministry (Acts 16:37-40; 22:24-29; 25:1-12). Jesus tells us to lovingly confront those who have wronged us rather than letting it eat away our relationship with that person (Matthew 18:15-17). I just want us to remember that many of the things we get incensed about are not worth the heartburn!

    We do more harm to ourselves — to the purity of our hearts and the focus of our lives — by dwelling on a offense committed against us, than the person who insulted us could ever do to us. There are more profitable, more advantageous, and more blessed ways to spend our time than trying to “get even.” Trying to “get even” nearly always makes things “even worse!”

    That’s why Jesus said, “turn the other cheek” (5:38-39). That’s why Paul said, “don’t be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:17-21). That’s why the wise man said “a gentle answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:11). That’s also why my wife says “let it go” and my daughter says, “Dad, take a chill pill!”

    You know what, they’re right. That’s why I tell myself, “It’s not worth the heartburn!”

    Now, just where did I put that chill pill?