On my way to work one day this week, I heard a news report about a landscaper who killed his boss with a shovel. The reason? The boss had made critical comments about the employee’s work. What is going on in this person’s life that he would make this choice in the heat of the moment?
Just then an SUV, making a triple lane change across my rear bumper, reminds me of instances of road rage that have ended with similar results. A driver cuts us off and we take it personally. Some drivers choose to just let it go; others choose to act out in rage. What causes a person to become so angry?
How many times have I been in a situation where I had to make an instant choice and I ended up making a good one? There have been times when I realized how easily I could have made a bad choice. That’s a scary thought! Although I made a good decision, the wrong thing to do was just a choice away.
When we have time to think through our decisions, our choices are based on the information we’ve gathered and the resources we have at hand. But when faced with a situation where a choice must be made in an instant, what resources do we pull from?
I learned as a child that what we put in our hearts and minds is what spills out when we are shaken. Jesus said that “the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart….” Could it be that what I spend my days thinking, reading, watching, playing and listening become the resources I use when I need to make an instant choice? Could it be that, in those moments of passion, the resources we use to make choices are not in our hands but in our hearts?
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.” — Paul, Philippians 4:8 (New English Translation).
… Tom
I think your right on the money. What I’ve observed in people who seem to get really angry over seemingly trivial things is that they constantly have ‘me’ mentality. They want everything to go there way, want everything to be easy for themselves. So, when they’re faced with a split second decision, their automatic inclination is to think of themselves.