Five teenagers in Michigan, ranging in age from fifteen to seventeen years, thought it was a good idea to hurl several rocks, including a six pound boulder, off an interstate overpass into traffic below. They thought it would be a great prank.

The rocks damaged several cars but the six pound boulder killed a man who was returning home from work, leaving his five year old daughter without a father.

The young men were denied bail. They were charged as adults with second degree murder. They could spend many years in prison.

My heart breaks when I hear of tragedies like this. My heart breaks for the man who was killed, his daughter, and all who knew him. And my heart also breaks for the five young men, their families, friends, and all who know them.

They are young people whose lives lay out before them and they, as a group, chose to make a very stupid and thoughtless mistake that tore apart the lives of so many.

No matter how small our actions, you and I have the responsibility to think before we act. We have the responsibility to ask, “If I do this, what could be the possible outcome?”  We have the spiritual responsibility to care how our actions and words will impact ourselves and others.

God gave us free will. God also gave us a big heart so we can feel what it will be like to be on the receiving end of our behavior. It is always wise to consult our heart, the only part of us capable of putting ourselves in the position of others, before we do something that will change our life and the lives of others, forever.