While stress is inevitable, panic is not. My BYU criminal law professor, the irascible Woody Deem, would open every class with an enthusiastic, “Criminals are stupid!” Translation: IQ goes missing when we panic. As the former prosecutor of Ventura County, Brother Deem regaled us with true stories of criminals whose IQ dropped precipitously during panicky moments. One story about bank robbers stands out. It is a testament to why character matters under stress. Compare the bank robbers’ panic to the bank manager’s calm in commotion.
Bank Robbers
The bank robbers drove up to the corner bank at noon, barreled out of their car and brandished sawed-off shotguns from black trench coats. As the gang tugged and tugged at the locked glass entry doors, the customers already inside the bank scurried toward the vault and away from the robbers. Seeing the commotion, the bank manager, a man of unwavering integrity and eagle-eyes, remained cool under fire. He activated the alarm, and quickly reassured the customers the entry doors would hold up under the robbers’ assault.
Meanwhile, the bank’s bell-and-whistle alarm blasted the busy street corner. Frustrated by the automatic locking doors, the robbers dashed back to their car, only to be corralled by the quick-acting police.
When the manager came out to assist the officers, the chief robber gritted his teeth in disgust as cuffs clamped him into custody. Turning to the unruffled manager, the robber pleaded, “You’ve just gotta tell me. How in the world did you know we were coming?”
“We didn’t,” the manager said.
“Then how did the doors lock down so quickly?”
“They didn’t.” The manager leaned into the robber and smiled, then whispered, “The doors open in, not out.”
Panicky Moments
In the panic of our difficult moments, we don’t think clearly. We overreact, we over think, we over fear. Whether putting out the small fires that plague us, or thwarting the nefarious plans of the bad guys, strong character can calm our reaction to any stressful situation.
Some years ago, while loading our seven children into our Suburban to head out for summer vacation, my wife accidentally let go of the bungy cord securing the rooftop luggage. The cord snapped like a whipsaw into my daughter’s face at the other end. Our screams shattered the air. Our daughter clutched her face with her trembling hands, blood leaking between her fingers like some freakish nightmare.
Despite my panic, I managed a quick prayer, “Not the eye,” I pleaded with Heavenly Father. I unhinged my daughter’s fingers from her face to inspect the wound. Thankfully, the hook-end of the bungy cord missed Amber’s eye by a millimeter or two. A quick detour to the pediatrician, some skillful stitches, and off for vacation we rolled, shaken, but our worst fears never realized.
Peace Be Still
The stress of the moment can test would-be robbers, bank managers and parents alike. Jesus was always steady in the storms and firestorms of adversity. His example shows us that our stress need not lead to panic. True calm in calamity is not measured by the water one douses on life’s sporadic fires, but rather, from inner peace as measured by the character of the fireman. That peace helps us weather stressful situations with focus and calm, much like the bank manager.
Even believing disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ are not immune from occasional panic. As we look to the Savior, we find many examples of His calm in the face of impending disaster. While crossing the Sea of Galilee, storm “waves beat into the (Savior’s) ship, so that it was now full” (Mark 4:37). As the Savior was asleep on a pillow, His panicked disciples pleaded, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38).
Awakened by the commotion, the Master rebuked the storm: “Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). The “great calm” stemmed not only from His rebuke of the storm, but from the Mater’s steadying character as the Prince of Peace. The Savior’s miracles flowed from His incomparable life.
When our lives embrace the Savior, His steadying arms hold us through every trial, every panicked moment. As we draw unto Christ, our panicky nature is caressed and comforted by His unwavering hand. We then are better equipped to face our excitable moments with a disciple’s calm. Adversity has two faces: the buffeting winds that blow the natural man off course, or the necessary course corrections that guide disciples to a safer shore.
Our response to adversity is telling. Like the panicked robbers of Ventura County, our own panicked mistakes can morph into curses that cripple our ability to act under fire, or instead, we can make the soul-searching changes that strengthen us from the inside out. In that way, we are better equipped to handle stress as we reach for the Savior’s enveloping arms and develop the attributes of His exquisite character. Repentance and the love Jesus offers us strengthens our character to meet the buffeting storms which inevitably blow our way.
As Professor Deem might have said with a wink, “Criminals may be stupid under stress, but we don’t need to emulate their panic.” Besides, it is no crime to push the door in if it opens to a more inviting calm, even the character of Christ.
