What’s in Your Head?

I was feeling great that day.

I had just had an invigorating workout at the gym, and I was waiting to cross the street. While standing there, I was bopping my head to the music in my headphones. The walk signal appeared, and I entered the intersection.

As I was happily crossing the street, a man in a big white truck came speeding into the crosswalk to turn the corner. I looked at him in disbelief because it was obvious that I had the right of way. I was so upset that he almost intentionally killed me that I turned around and gave him a very un-Christlike gesture.

I expected him to just keep on driving, realizing that he was in the wrong. But no, he slowed his vehicle down to yell obscenities at me, which I readily yelled back at him. I was furious! I couldn’t believe it! I immediately called one of my girlfriends on my cell phone to tell her what had just happened and get things off my chest.

I walked home, kind of in a fog. I felt scared and ashamed all at the same time. What would Jesus have done? He certainly would not have done what I had.

Was the irate man in the truck in the wrong? Yes.

Did he deserve to be treated the way I treated him? By the world’s standards, yes. By God’s standards, definitely not. What made me lash out at him like that? I didn’t feel like myself when I was yelling at him. Then it hit me.

It was the music in my head! I had been listening to hip-hop when it all happened. I had tried to rationalize that it was OK for me to listen to this genre of music. I would tell myself, “It’s OK for me to listen to this because I am an adult.

I am no longer impressionable like those young teens.

I have my morals already in place. It’s just good workout music.” Boy, was I wrong. That night, I prayed for forgiveness for my sins and for the man in the truck. I prayed that whatever he was going through that made him so angry would lead him to the feet of Jesus. I now praise God that I gave up hip-hop, and I enjoy singing hymns!

Mary C. D. Johnson