Never burn a bridge

Those who regularly read my columns know that for years I have tried to begin each day reading an, “Our Daily Bread” devotional. In 2017, I read one of Mart DeHann’s devotionals, which really impressed me.

Two London commuters bumped into one another on a busy train. One nervous rider lashed out at the fellow passenger who, unfortunately, got in his way. Sadly, this happens untold times each day in hundreds of different cities. Harsh words are exchanged, and angry commuters walk away secure in knowing they are unlikely to ever say another word to the person they just insulted.

Unfortunately for the commuter in DeHann’s story, this was not the case. The commuter was on his way to a job interview, and when he walked into the room to meet the business manager, he was shocked to discover he would be interviewed by the very person he had insulted on the train. After the interview ended, the business manager posted this message on his social media account: “Guess who just showed up for a job interview.” He went on to explain what had happened.

The post went viral, and people around the world winced and thanked God they had not insulted the person who interviewed them for their last job. Imagine walking into a job interview and realizing the person who will decide whether you get hired is the person you lashed out at on your way to the interview. There is really no way to recover from that kind of disaster, and the likelihood of you getting the job is about the same as it snowing in Phoenix on the Fourth of July.

Controlling what we say is difficult for everyone. All of us have put ourselves in an uncomfortable situation at some point by saying what we were thinking when we should have kept our mouths shut. The Bible puts it this way, “…no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God.” (James 3:8-9, NLT)

James’ words and the story in today’s column remind me of the late Andy Rooney’s wise advice, “Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.” While our words should be patient and gentle, each of us has had moments when we said something unkind to someone who did not deserve it.

At some point, everyone has treated others far differently than they want to be treated. As the person who lost his temper on the train learned the hard way, it is best never to burn a bridge you might need to cross in the future.