Small Nut Fatality

A helicopter crashed near Cloncurry, Queensland, on 2nd August 2017. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released a report into the crash a few weeks ago.

(A) self-locking nut was likely either not installed or inadequately torqued during maintenance. (This allowed) a bolt to separate from a bell crank in a Robinson R22’s cyclic control in-flight (and) resulted in the helicopter’s unrecoverable loss of control and collision with the terrain, fatally injuring the pilot.

One nut caused a fatal crash.

Just as aircraft engineers must take care with each little nut, so, too, must we take care of each little thought.

Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.

(Ralph Waldo Emerson, quoted by Steven Covey, in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People).

Just as one small nut can lead to destruction, so, too, can one small thought.

The apostle Paul left us with some good advice regarding thoughts:

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise

(Philippians 4:8, New Living Translation).

Let’s be careful about every little thought.