Today is July 4th, 2015. The United States of American is celebrating 239 years of declaring it's independence from Great Britain. The social experiment of having a representative democracy has had a rocky history. As a nation, we have made incredible strides and made some very poor decisions. The Declaration of Independence second paragraph starts out with:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.-- (found here)
And began the journey of our Nation with seeking to allow people to live their lives with lots of freedom. Freedom to choose who they wanted to be, instead of what the State told them to be. The freedom to choose their faith, instead of having to follow the State's religion. The freedom to pursue as much or as little education as they wanted, and the area of education that they most desired, instead of being directed by the State with what to study. But, with every decision comes the consequences, either good or bad.
As I spend time pondering our situation in American, I am often troubled and saddened to see where we are today, compared to where we were 20 years ago. Granted, technology has changed immensely in just the last five years! Because of the changes in technology, our lives have also been greatly changed. Some changes have been good, some not so good. It is wonderful that we can look up information about other countries, from the countries themselves, to learn about that particular culture, language and history. It is awesome that I can get on my computer and use Skype to talk with friends and family back in the States while I am deployed. But, with all the abundance of information on the Internet, it can easily get overwhelming. And, though a lot of the information is wonderful and good to know, there is a lot of information out there that can be negative, even destructive.
Unlike many countries, we still have a fair amount of freedom to pursue our dreams and live our lives how we want to. I say 'fair amount' because I do not believe that we still have the same freedoms that we used to have. Although I do feel that our individual rights are being eroded, that is the theme of another article. Here, though, I want to talk more about decisions and consequences.
In Genesis chapters 1-2, we see the story of Creation from two different perspectives. Although how the stories are written seem different, their content are the same. God created everything and, in the beginning, pronounced it 'good.' What is very interesting is that, from the start, God created mankind to be an independent thinking. In Genesis 2:18-20, we see that God allowed Adam to name all of the living things. God did not name them and then order Adam to call them by that name. God allowed Adam to freely choose what to call each animal. God gave Adam a choice, and the consequences of that choice was that each animal would be called.
In Genesis 2:15-17, we see some limits that God put upon Adam. Of all that was in the Garden of Eden, there was only one tree (tree of the knowledge of good and evil) that he was not to eat from. But, in Genesis 3, we see that Adam and Eve choose to disobey God. Because they choose to reject Him and do what they wanted, the consequences of their sin are still felt today.
We all have choices that we make each and every day. From the food that we eat, to the people that we hang out with, to how we do personal hygiene, to how we spend our free time. And, there are consequences to each of these choices, be it for good or evil. For example, being in the Army means that I have a specific uniform that I am supposed to wear for during the duty day, unless told otherwise. If I choose to wear a pair of jeans and a T-shirt instead of the Multi-Cam uniform that I was told to be in, I would face negative consequences. Being an E6/Staff Sergeant, that would probably mean more harsh consequences than if a new Private did the same thing. And that is because, being an NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer), more is expected of me. If I choose to eat a lot of junk food during meals instead of healthy foods, then probable consequences down the road would be osculating sugar levels, poor sleeping, obesity, etc.
Some choices can have very lasting consequences. For example, if I allow my temper to be in control when I discipline my children, they will grow to fear and resent me. However, if I temper the way that I discipline them with love and firmness, then they will grow to love and respect me. If I continuously push them away when I want to do things on my own instead of paying with them, reading to them, etc., they will seek love and acceptance from others. But, if I set aside my desires to be alone so that I can be there for them, then the positive consequence will be that they will want to do things with me, seek my advice, etc.
Everything decision we make has a consequence, be it good or bad. Sometimes we won't know the full extent of the consequences of our actions for years, if ever. For example, I volunteered to lead a Bible Study here on base in Qatar so that I can be a positive spiritual influence and mentor to fellow soldiers and civilians here. I know that I will never fully know what God does through me as I teach and fellowship. My style of expository teaching (defined here and here) is not for everyone. I dig deep into the history of the text, the language (as I have time since working with Hebrew or Greek is very time consuming for me), the historical setting, etc., so that I can more clearly explain how the original text might have been understood originally, and how we can understand it today. Some people love that kind of teaching. Others do not.
I work full-time at a maximum security state prison in Nebraska. Over the years, I have used the skills that I gained while in seminary and working in churches to minister to the inmates and staff there (as my job allows). I have seen lives deeply touched by what I do. But, I am very certain that I will never seek the full consequences of my ministry there. God may give me glimpses here and there, but the full extent will be beyond my understanding.
There is one other thing that we have the freedom to do that can have major consequences. That is the freedom to not choose, but to let others choose for us. Whether it is in a church setting, small town, state, or what ever, when we choose not to make our voices heard, we are still making a choice. If we choose to not get involved in a church meeting in deciding the outcome of selecting a new pastor or voting on an important issue, we have made a choice. We choose to let others speak for us. State or national elections is the same. If we choose not to vote, then we empower others to make the decisions for us. The consequence is, we have to then live with the choices they made.
We can also take this a step further. We can choose to be involved in the lives of our children and their education. Or, we can choose to not be involved and allow the State to teach them whatever they want to teach. In many countries, parents do not have much of a say in what a child learns in school. Here in the United States, we have that choice. But, many choose not to exercise that right.
As Christians, we called to follow Christ and to obey Him. However, in a fallen world, we often are disliked, even hated and persecuted for following Him. We have the choice to live in fear of being disliked, hated, and/or persecuted and compromise. But, in doing so, we hinder our witness and damage our relationship with God. On the other hand, if we choose to life for Christ, no matter what the cost, then we can face difficulties, ridicule, torture, or even death. What ever choice one makes, there will be consequences.
Funny thing is… The consequences of our actions, words and attitudes can have a ripple effect with those around us. Not only do we have to accept and live with the consequences of our decisions, but those around us will have to live with them. For example, if a person chooses to drive his car down a busy residential area, faster than the posted speed, while talking on the his cellphone, there is a good chance that the person will hit someone. Not only will that person have to live with the consequences of their decision (know that their actions caused great harm or even death to someone else), but the family of the person hit will have to live with the consequences (major medical bills, permanent injuries, or even death). Sometimes we will see the consequences of our actions and behavior. Sometimes it takes years, if at all. But, there will be consequences, and others will be influenced by them.
So, during this time of celebration, let us remember that with freedom comes responsibilities. Freedom to choose means taking time to think about our words and our actions, because there will be consequences for the choices that we make. And, if we choose to let others decide for us, we will suffer the consequences for their choices. Sometimes, the most we can do is decide how we will respond to things in life. But, just like our physical actions, what we say and how we emotionally engage or disengage, affects others. Some things have short term consequences (eating a delicious dessert or telling a joke with friends) and some can have long term consequences (choosing to drive after drinking or choosing to having sex with a stranger because you feel lonely). And, some can have eternal consequences (accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior…or not…).
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