Collateral Damage

I was in a wreck yesterday--rear-ended. I and the lady who hit me were starting to turn right at a green light when a woman coming the other way ran her red light. I, of course, slammed on my brakes to avoid hitting or being hit by her just as the woman behind me hit her gas. No one was hurt; I'll need a new rear bumper and the other lady has two little holes in her front bumper from the screws in my lisence plate, and we had to stand out in the heat for 45 minutes or an hour, but we're okay. The woman who ran the red light and caused the wreck? She hasn't stopped yet.
Made me think: every day we do things that don't seem like a big deal. I mean, most of us have run a red light or at least pushed it once or twice or pulled off the old "rolling stop" at a stop sign. And we do the same things in other areas of our lives. Often the problems our little decisions create affect others as much as if not more than ourselves. Yesterday a woman ran a red light and didn't get hit--I did. A woman minding her own business on the way to pick up her daughter from church daycamp now has to buy me a new bumper, not because she did anything wrong, but because someone she'll probably never meet wanted to get who-knows-where two minutes faster. Our actions have much farther-stretching effects than we realize. Recognize that, and be cautious as you go through life not to make others physical, emotional, or spiritual collateral damage for your own selfishness.