Skip to main content

Unintended Consequences


           
            A news headline this past week read, “Cellphone call limits suggested by Health Canada”.  The story went on to say that, though more study is needed, parents should encourage children to limit the time that they spend talking on their cellphones.  The concern comes from the radiation that cellphones emit and the thinking that it may harm children whose brains, skulls and immune systems are still developing.

            In church on Sunday, I asked, “Have any of you done anything differently in light of this warning?”   Interestingly, though most people had seen the story (or others like it), not one person said that they had changed their actions.  Why?  

            I think it has to do with the fact that the consequences are not immediate.  The issue, if there is one, is going to surface, not now, but 30 years from now, so we just keep doing what we do.  If the consequence was immediate, if you burned your ear every time you used your phone, you would likely change your actions immediately.

            I think we often apply the same thinking to sin.  In fact, we have come up with lists of what we think are “big sins” (such as murder and adultery) and “little sins” (such as gossip and “little white lies”) based, mostly, on the immediacy and severity of the consequence.  If I cheat on my wife, for example, I lose my family, my house, my money and maybe my job (that is a big deal).   If, on the other hand, I gossip about someone, generally speaking nothing really visible happens (so I am less concerned about it).

            But what if, ultimately, all sin is rightly understood as a rebellion against God and, therefore, has the same consequence?  Sin, “big” or “small”, puts distance between God and me. 

            “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7)     

            While I will never be perfect, my thoughts and actions are important, not only because of what happens now, but because they are ultimately forming my character and, therefore, affecting my relationship with God.   That is worth some thought.

“Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Consider This: What is so Great About Grace?

If you were to drive by our house, you would see that Sara loves plants.  Our yard is full of flowers, and Sara lovingly tends every one of them. Which is why I was so afraid when she left town and put me in charge of keeping things alive. She must have been a little concerned, too, because she sent me two videos with specific instructions on how to water, when to water, and what to do.  Honestly, those first two videos helped, but the third one she sent was the one I liked most.  In that one, she said, “Please do your best. I want the yard to look good for the family reunion in two weeks.  However, if something dies, we will dig it out and pretend that it never existed!” That is what grace looks like!  Try your best, do what you can, but if it goes wrong, it will be ok. Sometimes we talk as though grace and effort are opposites.  That is not true.  They are partners. In one place, scripture asks, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone c...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: Thanksgiving in Real Time

                    Thanksgiving weekend means that many of us will spend time together with family and friends, eat a lot of food and think about what we are thankful for in our lives.   Unfortunately, after that, most will go back to their normal routines and leave thankfulness behind.                   What would happen if thanksgiving were part of our everyday life, rather than something we focused on a few times per year?   Where would we even start?                 According to Philippians 1:18-26, the apostle Paul remained joyful and thankful, even while imprisoned for his faith, by holding on to three important practic...
Post a Comment
Read more

Do You See the Angel?

          In the gospels, the story of Jesus’ birth is preceded by the prediction of the birth of “John the Baptist”.              John’s father, Zechariah, was a priest at the temple in Jerusalem.   One day, while he was burning incense to God, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John” (Luke 1:13).               This was surprising news to Zechariah and so he asks, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years” (verse 18).   That is a logical question, right?   I mean, he is asking for a sign so that he can believe something that seems quite unbelievable.   Who would fault him for that?        ...
Post a Comment
Read more