Faster Than a Speeding Bullet-Thoughts about Police, Baseball, and Words

        How fast does a bullet travel? Depending on the caliber and ammunition, between 600 and
5000 feet per second. Useless information? I think not. Saturday night, I had a dream about my
nephew Chad, a Mountain Grove police officer. When I awoke I felt impressed to pray for his safety.
This led to a series of thoughts about police, baseball, and words.

   In baseball, a player has 1/4 of a second to decide if he will swing at a pitch. He then has 1/4 of a
second to decide rather or not to check (stop) his swing. This requires amazing skill and hand eye
coordination. Think about a police officer, faced with a criminal, who is threatening someone's life,
either a civilian or him/herself. If the perp has a firearm, the officer must make an instant decision.
If he fires a shot, it will travel at the minimum 600 feet in one second. The officer does no't always have
time to discern if a weapon is unloaded, or a bb gun. He must instantly act, to protect human life.

  The same with a soldier. He must act instantly or either he will die or the innocent will die. Unlike the
baseball player, he cannot recall his bullet if he must fire his weapon. I admire baseball players, for the skill
and coordination they display. But how much greater is the courage and skill of those called to serve and
protect us? Sometimes things go awry, and a mistake is made. The media and others rush to judge an officer
without giving thought to the urgency of the situation. This is why our officers need our prayers and support.

  My thoughts then turned to words. The Bible says that words can wound and hurt others. Like an officer's
bullet, once a word leaves our mouth, it cannot be recalled like the checked swing  of a baseball player.
That is why we should give thought before we speak. And we have more than 1/4 of a second to respond.
And as Chad pointed out to me when we discussed this, an apology after a hurtful word is never as good
as never saying the word in the first place.

 There is a good rule. One that I certainly haven't always followed. If you have any doubt , that you should
say something, don't say it. Remember, words can hurt, and cannot be recalled.

Peace,
Jack