There we were … in the waiting room of the radiation clinic while Papa (my father-in-law) was having his treatment. The television was on but we were not paying much attention to what was showing. Then a woman enters and takes a quick look at the television. She asks us if she could change the channel. No problem. So she picks up the remote, and proceeds to change the channel. When she finds the program she wants, she puts down the remote beside the television, and watches while standing close to the television. Not even a minute passes and she decides to leave. What happens next defies explanation. She picks up the remote and walks out of the waiting room, never to return! My wife Grace and I looked at each other and just burst out laughing. We couldn’t control ourselves.
Perhaps the woman is the one who has control of the television remote in her home. She just did what she normally does. A force of habit. Or maybe she does not have such control and her actions reflect a hidden desire to be in control. An opportunity presented itself and she took it, though unaware of what she was doing.
Of course, I’m just speculating. But the experience does raise a relevant question: Why do we do what we do? Often we may make innocent or honest mistakes. Yet many times our actions could also reflect a certain frame of mind or a deep-seated outlook on life that has a way of controlling our behavior. “By their fruits you will know them,” Jesus said. The challenge is to become aware of the inner perspectives and motivations of our heart. Then we can make the necessary changes or revisions or corrections so that our behavior will manifest a pure heart that is effectively surrendered to the will of God.
To be fair, on her way out the woman actually realized her mistake and left the remote at the nurses’ station. A nurse came into the waiting room a few minutes later and returned the remote. No harm done. The incident just provided us with the opportunity to have a good laugh.
God forbid that I should dismiss sinfulness as insignificant. But I pray that, more and more, when I do make mistakes they would be nothing more than harmless, even comedic, missteps that would harm no one. Instead, may they serve as reminders to me of my human frailties and my constant need for God’s guidance.
—Keith Y. Jainga