A man dashed in front of a father and his then four year old son and resulted in that boy being pushed against a car door. That man did not stop but continued walking. The father confronted the man and an argument broke out and vulgar words were exchanged. This man later went to a nearby restaurant and took a chopper and slashed that father. If convicted, this man could be jailed for up to two years and/or fined up to $5000.

What is frightening in this fight was the extent that man had gone to retaliate. Several lessons could be learnt. First, unless that boy was badly hurt, this really was not a serious matter. It was unintentional. Had the father chosen to let this mater rest, this incident would not have escalated to this point of no return. God’s Word wisely counsels us saying: “The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out” (Prov 17:14). In other words, just as water when turned out gushes out uncontrollably, a quarrel when begun cannot be stopped until it runs its full course to end in serious hurt. Therefore, do not let a quarrel start. Hence, when you sense tension, stop talking and excuse yourself politely.

Then, you will avert a wrecked relationship and be spared from unnecessary hurts. Learn to stop talking and arguing.

Second, that this man actually searched for a chopper and returned to exact revenge is simply gruesome. I am curious about the psychology behind this callous act. He obviously was the one who was at fault. This man’s conscience has been “seared with a hot iron” (1 Tim 4:2) so that it is no longer sensitive to what is right or wrong. It is important that we keep our hearts soft and sensitive to God’s rebuke and leading. When you are wrong, do not find excuses for your sinful or wrong behavior. Humbly admit so before men and God. In fact, it is more relieving to confess humbly your wrongs than to deny the obvious and have your conscience stirring and tossing within you. If you are someone who often refuses to confess your mistake or apologise humbly, your heart will harden slowly and your conscience will be become increasingly insensitive. One day, you might do something as callous as taking a chopper to hurt someone. Therefore, be honest and humble yourself before God.

Third, perhaps this man also carried a heavy baggage containing his past unpleasant experiences. Perhaps he interpreted that confrontation of that father as a sign of bullying when that father had only intended to ask for an apology. Perhaps within that man, he nursed many past hurts that never received their long due comfort. For such a person, Jesus can comfort him. Receive Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. He loves you. At the same time, however, he is responsible for his action because these angry reactions stem from self-centredness: He feels that the father had hurt his pride or to be more specific, that self-glory in him has been hurt. As Christians, we are called to die to ourselves daily. Let us emulate Jesus’ example. He is God and yet he was willingly to come down as a human being and even die on the shameful cross (Phil 2:5-11) not because he did anything wrong but for others: you and me who deserve to die because we are sinners. In fact, when you are willingly to put aside your pride and self-interest, you will not get angry even when you are insulted. Life will be much happier.