Gwen and I had planned a trip for months. It was a dream vacation to Maui, something we had hoped to do for years.

The morning we were to leave for the airport, our alarm didn’t go off and we were late getting out of bed. In fact, we were awakened by the limo pulling up to the house in Home Alone style.

We hurried to get ready as fast as we could, but the limo driver was far from gracious. In fact, on the way to the airport, he was mouthing off so much about us on the phone to his boss, I reached up, took the phone from his ear, and spoke these words into the receiver, “I’m very sorry we were late this morning. But that is no excuse for the arrogance of your driver. No one talks to my wife like that. I can assure you, I will not use your company ever again.” I hung up the phone and told him to pull over—we were getting out.

It was an opportunity for the company to exceed expectations, not to permanently damage public relations. That was ten years ago, and I have never used them since. In fact, when asked whom I do use, I always preface it with, “You may not want to use these guys, because . . . ”

Our society has become fixed on arrogant entitlement. I even see this in my practice when a patient having a heart attack bumps one with a common cold. They want an explanation for why they weren’t seen first since a cold would be a quick visit.

Sadly, I must admit that several times this year alone I have had to call the police to intervene when a patient goes awry in my waiting room.

As Christians, we have a different standard that the world has. We are supposed to be playing with different rules—tougher rules. We should be the best of the best, not the ones behaving badly.

When confronted with wrongdoing, or our “rights” being violated, we would do well to remember the following:

• We don’t have any rights
  • As Christians, we give up our rights to many things, including holding a grudge, seeking revenge, unforgiveness, and behaving in an ungodly manner.
• How people see us is a reflection of how they see Christ
  • We may in fact be the only aspect of Christ others see. If that does not frighten you, you’re not thinking clearly. It is our responsibility to represent Christ by our words, actions, and how we respond to hurtful situations. This goes against the grain of modern culture that says we should stand up for ourselves and speak our minds.
• We will be held accountable to God for our actions and words
  • This is one of the most sobering thoughts for me. I don’t want to stand before God and explain why I felt it was more important to shoot my mouth off and protect my feelings, than it was to represent Him and potentially lead another to Christ.

Don’t think for one moment that I have this down, because I don’t. But I do know what I am supposed to be doing—showing others The Way—not showing them a side of me I don’t much care for.

Take the high road. That’s where Christ is.