Is a wrong burger a reason for assault?

As I was eating my morning oatmeal last week, I was also watching the morning news out of Spokane. I like to catch the weather report so I know what to wear for the day.

I was appalled when I heard a story about a man attacking the manager of the Spokane Valley Jack in the Box because he had been given the wrong burger.

This man jumped over the counter and began punching the female manager in the face. Other employees subdued him until the police arrived.

His only complaint was that his order was wrong, and he was charged with assault.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, so being a curious person, I decide to look online to see if anything like this had ever happened before.

What I found was that I was the naive one. Apparently reports of this kind of behavior are rampant.

For example, at a Richmond, Va. Wendy’s, a female customer ordered two spicy chicken sandwiches and then changed her order to two $.99 chicken sandwiches.

When the order came, it was mixed up, so the woman went behind the counter and seriously injured the manager by biting her.

Apparently, this kind of behavior happens all the time. It makes me ask why people are reacting this way over petty things like the “wrong burger.” Where is this anger coming from?

I myself have been on the receiving end of a wrong order and I just walked up to the counter and let the clerk know. Management corrected it and let me keep the extra burger. It was all very civil.

The thought of punching and biting never entered my mind. So what has changed?

In my opinion, people have become much more egocentric and think only about their own personal needs. Instead of thinking about how our actions are affecting others, we worry only about how others are affecting us.

In Philippians 2:4 it says, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

As Christians we need to follow scripture and be aware of our actions and the affect they have on other people. Anger is an especially powerful emotion which can be very destructive if left unchecked. It can cause us to become ill both physically and mentally.

It can break down relationships with family and friends that can’t always be repaired. But most importantly, it isn’t how God wants us to behave.

Jesus Christ is our peace. Through Him we know we are saved, and we have no need to carry anger with us like luggage.

I invite you to turn all your anger and pent-up frustration over to God today. Just talk to God and let it go. A huge weight will be lifted from you, and your life will be better.

God loves you and wants what is best for you. He doesn’t want to see you on the morning news because of a burger order.