See the Forest and the Trees

The facilitator of the corporate liability workshop mentioned the famous case when the woman sued McDonald’s because she was burned when she spilled a cup of coffee in her lap. Of course, there was laughter and some guffaws about how frivolous the lawsuit was. “Surprise! the coffee’s hot – well, duh”.

When the laughter quieted down, the teacher asked: “What would be your response if I told you that particular McDonald’s had a defective coffee maker that overheated the coffee, and they had been receiving complaints about it for several months?”

The room was totally hushed as we pondered what she had said. Someone quietly spoke up, with no laughter, “How could they let a problem go on like that?” The perspective had totally changed.

The facilitator (an attorney) wouldn’t verify that was the situation, but she did get our attention – both from a corporate liability point and a personal aspect. Sometimes we need to change our perspective and get more information or do a little more thinking before we react hastily.

Balaam was riding his donkey and the animal stopped and would not move. (Numbers 22). Balaam beat the donkey mercilessly and threatened to kill him. The Lord opened the animal’s mouth and the donkey asked, in effect, “why are you beating me? Haven’t I always been your faithful servant?”

Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes and Balaam saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the path with a drawn sword. Had the donkey not seen that and stopped, Balaam would have been slain. Balaam bowed his head and fell flat on his face. His perspective had totally changed.

A bit of waiting and thinking can change our perspective and keep us from making mistakes.
“Be still, and know that I am God;” Psalm 46:10