Consequences

Society have been indoctrinating young bloods into a very carefree and rebel lifestyle, which indulges the excess, the risk-taking, the “freedom” philosophy, etc. I could even say that, not only Millennials think that way but a big part of this ever changing generation, past and present. It is actually the YOLO movement but with a more hipsterish approach. Arts and media lure us into the lust of adventure, extreme emotions and the non-stopping search for pleasure. From a young man’s perspective, we all want to live that life: a life of discovery, self and the world’s. We all want to live a life that looks like a hip music video clip. However, we tend to forget that real life has a divine law that always get its wages, now or latter.

Our actions always lead to a ripple effect that affects people around us directly or indirectly. That effect is called Consequence; and EVERYTHING WE DO, doesn’t matter how small it is, produces consequences. We tend to forget about consequences because we think that we will stay young forever. We have a bad sense of time, to the point of thinking that our lives will be a fairy tale until we die…if we actually think we will die.

We have taken the philosophy of “living like it’s your last” to the point of extreme liberality, forgetting that we live under God’s law of sowing and reaping.

If we get to a party and we drink a little too much, we will have a hangover the next day. If we flirt with a girl we don’t actually like, but we play with her, she will think we dig her and be destroyed when she realizes we played with her. If we have sex without protection, we can have a child soon, or a STD. If we don’t pay our taxes, we can get into jail. Those are just little examples of the obvious things that can happen when we do things. Sadly, we don’t even pay attention to the little details of our actions, the actions that we define as insignificant, but are the ones who can change the course of our life forever.

Look for example Saul’s descendants. They were killed because of their grandfather’s actions (2 Samuel 22:1-14). Look at Reuben , how he didn’t received Jacob’s blessings because he slept with his father’s concubine (Genesis 35:22, Genesis 49:3-4). We see all the toils that David passed through because of his adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12-22). We see a great list of stories in the Bible based on consequences of bad actions: Amnon assassination by Absalom, the nation of Israel’s wandering in the dessert, and of course: the ultimate consequence: The Fall of Humankind because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience.  

We are the generation that gets surprised when consequences come to our lives. We think so innocently that what we do, doesn’t affect anything neither anyone we are around. We live so focused and numb to real life and real decisions, that when things get rough, we don’t know what to do. That’s the epitome of ignorance. Ignorance won’t save us from the consequences and judgment of our actions.  

I have big regrets: “What if I did not listen to that neighbor that night when I was 15 years old?” “What if I actually kissed her that afternoon before leaving home?” “What if I didn’t kicked her out of that room?” “What if I picked that job instead of the other?” “What if I didn’t get in jail?” Right now, I can’t answer any of those questions anymore. What’s left for me is to live and face the consequences of those actions. Facing the consequences of my sin has been a tool God have used to sanctify me, to prove me and to cleanse me. Humility came in order to accept the facts and to grow up and live better in the present, and to be wise for the future.

Young man, remember: everything we do, have eternal and spiritual connotations, doesn’t matter how mundane and vain we live. Think about every step you take and think about the loved ones that you can affect with those actions. We can apply the same rule when we do good, but sadly we see people making terrible mistakes and adjusting their lives to the consequence of their actions. We need to stop that. I want to see young men and women living the good consequences of their actions, to reap the fruits of their effort, their sacrifice, their good work, their faith, their patience. God blesses those who live by His Word. His Word is what protects us from bad consequences and the one who assures us the reward of the good ones. Let’s hear His voice:

⁷ Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. (Galatinas 6:7, NLT)