Man drives girlfriend off road for taking PlayStation away
Selfishness destroys, but J.O.Y. rebuilds
Darren Suchon is 42, unemployed, and apparently spends most of his day playing video games. Understandably frustrated with the situation, his girlfriend Colleen Frable took Darren’s console with her to work last Friday.
He wasn't happy.
Darren follow her from their home where he forced her car off the road and rear-ended her. And it gets worse.
When he was initially confronted by the police after the chase, Darren’s response was that he “didn’t know what the big deal was.” According to reports, he told police, “I just wanted the game, I would never hurt her. I just wanted the game.”
Darren doesn’t understand that it’s wrong to drive your girlfriend off the road just because she took your PlayStation away. Especially when you’re using her Porsche to do it.
What causes quarrels and fights?
This story reminds me of some wisdom in James 4:1-3:
"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."
The Christians James wrote to were sick with selfishness. They craved pleasures so much that they were prepared to do just about anything to get their fix; including fighting, quarrelling, killing and coveting. “Killing” might be an example of exaggeration, or it might actually be true. And in light of Darren Suchon, it is surely possible.
JOY is a life without selfishness
Selfishness always causes relationship breakdowns. Our selfish desires always put us in conflict with others.
However, Jesus lived a completely selfless, other-person-centered life. He is still the secret to living the joyful life. In fact, it is good to remember how JOY is found. JOY is found when we put “J”esus first, “Y”ourself last, and “O”thers in between. “J.O.Y”!
So the next time some you don’t get your own way, don’t kill and covet, remember Jesus and remember J.O.Y.
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