Pastor's Corner
May, 2002
Early this year, a trial received national attention. The coach of a youth hockey team, whose son was also on the team, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the beating death of another father after a practice game. Thomas Junta, a forty-four year-old, 270 pound truck driver argued with another father over the amount of rough plays in the game. It started with verbal argument, but ended up with both of them on the floor fighting. Mr. Junta was found on top punching the other father. Before anyone could step in to stop the fight, the father (I forgot his name) was unconscious and later died.
As we can see from this case, violence comes from anger and must be defused in a healthy manner. Otherwise, coupled with daily stress and occasional relational problem, a sense of rage would plant deep inside one’s emotion and could explode anytime. The question is not what if it explodes, but rather, when it explodes. For this reason, we are seeing more and more senseless murder-suicide cases recently. There is almost never a day gone by without hearing on the news of murder-suicide. It seems to be a thing to do to solve problems. I believe this is a reflection of people who are under extreme frustration and stress without having hope in sight.
The Bible tells us that we are created with a spirit, soul, and body. The three elements are intertwined, and therefore must be treated as one whole unit. Physical well-being will affect one’s emotional response. That is the reason why when you are tired, you would find yourself having short-tempered. When you are emotionally depressed, you would get sick easier because your immune system goes down. When you have a void in your spirit, life always seems unfulfilled. Though we cannot separate the three components of our being, yet our spirit is the most important part that needs to be satisfied. If you believe and accept God is a good God who wants the best for you in spite of adverse situation, you would be at peace. I don’t intend to over-simplify a complex working of the spirit, soul, and body, but when you have serenity within, together with adequate rest, good diet, occasional exercise, and appropriate leisure, you will be able to handle daily pressure a lot easier.
Before I sign off, let me suggest to you to take a deep breath, lift up your eyes to the hills, and ask, “Where does my help come from?” Can you say, “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth”? Do you know this Lord? If the Lord’s willing, I will share another lesson we can learn from Mr. Junta next month.
Pastor Larry
