A couple of weeks ago I had a pleasant conversation with the Associate Pastor of our faith fellowship. The conversation eventually ended up on the topic of young people and some of their decisions. I'm a firm believer in the idea that most young people's frontal lobes aren't fully developed until they are at least 25 years old. That's not to say that everyone's frontal lobes develop at the same time, but having been in the Air Force for over 15 years, I've observed that a good portion of young people make terrible decisions before they reach the age of 25.
As we both lamented the poor decisions of teens, and pre-teens, we wished that most of them could learn that their actions have consequences. Then I thought more about that word 'consequences' and wished I hadn't used it the negative way I did. Sometimes I do that to myself, I'll find a word, concept or idea that changes my view about something, and then slip right back into using it the wrong way. So, suffice it to say, one of my pet peeves is the negative use of the word 'consequences.' In today's society, the word has gradually lost its true meaning, and is now tied to the results of bad decisions. In actuality, consequences are the result of any action. If I put in an eight hour day, the consequences of my actions is that I will be tired, but that I will also get paid for my labor. It is a truly simple logic that I believe every child should be taught early. Good actions yield good consequences, bad actions yield bad consequences. If a child could see consequences as the deduction of pay for bad actions, and the wages for good actions, I think they would stop more often to weigh their decisions.Sadly, I don't think many parents are teaching this to their children. Today we see our schools being run by the students, and the leadership of our universities caving in to abhorrent behavior. It seems as if in today's society criminality is rewarded with admiration in social media circles. Today, we have parents who 'reward' children for simply existing, instead of revealing the consequences of their actions.
The consequences of study should never be equated to a grade, but the power of that knowledge to affect change upon their lives, and the lives of others.
The consequences of physical training isn't in the medal, or the accolade, it is the response of their body to the will of their mind. Physical well being is its own consequence.
The consequences of kindness is kindness in return. The consequences of tenderness is tenderness in return. The consequences of...I think you understand. Everything we do has consequences. Even when we do nothing it has consequences.
As an evangelical Christian, I believe one of the most powerful consequences is the product of a life of faith. Science has proven time and time again that religious faith has good consequences in our life. People who have faith recuperate better, live longer, are happier, give more, laugh more, and love more.
Someone I love deeply is going through a terrible time in their life, and they believe that they are being punished by God. It breaks my heart to hear that, because I used to believe that way myself. If my car broke down, the heater went out, or some other 'disaster' happened, it was because God was punishing me for something I'd done in my past. I'd been raised this way, and I had to unlearn it. It took me a long time to figure out that if my sins were thrown as far as the east is from the west, then their wasn't some ledger from which God was punishing me. However, forgiveness doesn't absolve us of the consequences of our actions. The consequence of owning a car that is fifteen years old, is it will break down. The consequence of living in a home and never replacing the heating cooling unit in 22 years is that it will break down. The consequence of living a life of giving is that others will give to you. Consequences are consequences.
In past blogs I've alluded to a situation in my life that I'm working my way through. It has been a tough situation because no matter what I do, or even if I do the 'right' thing, their is no good consequence. Why? Because someone a long time ago made a bad decision and now the consequences of that decision has come to the forefront. It was always there, but the innocent actions of others have revealed the consequences. I truly believe that this situation is going to end well, but the consequences are there and are not going to go away. The person involved has asked God for forgiveness, and has even been forthright about what they did in their youth, still the consequences of their actions have become real. There are times we do things that have consequences from which no amount of forgiveness can erase them.
As a sheet metal man in the Air Force, I cut myself numerous times. My hands, arms, legs, and yes even my torso bear the consequences of my actions. I'm scarred from one end of me to another. Over the years I've learned to be more careful, but that doesn't mean the scars will go away. It is the same way with our bad decisions, and our good decisions, they all have consequences. How we deal with those consequences is what determines our happiness level.
As I sit here in my office, I know that my little sparrows have moved further south. I think this is going to be a tough winter because the birds left early, and we've already set into a colder weather pattern. I miss the chitter chatter of the sparrows, and I know one of the consequences of the changing of seasons is that they disappear for awhile. I can either be at peace with that, or I can blame God for my sparrows being gone. However, there is a sure knowledge in me that the consequences of spring is that they will be back in force. That is the truth about consequences.
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