Making our Beds
What really cemented my thoughts about consequences was my conversation yesterday with my Argentine friend Romina. We were laughing about different phrases in English such as “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.” She wanted me to teach her some “naughty” terms or phrases. I explained to her that I had a slightly different attitude than most guys concerning sex. She had to pick her jaw up off the floor when I was done. Although shocked, in her gaze I could see a respect and a longing to have a relationship where she was respected that much. (She’s been dating her boyfriend for 5 years. C’mon now. Man up and make a commitment!). Her sister had been an aspiring nun in the past. She had suggested Romina and her boyfriend cut off their physical relationship and make a fresh, pure start. However, her boyfriend would have no part of it. As she put it in spanish, he almost killed her sister! At the end of our discussion, she told me she liked me even more after discovering my point of view.
Older, wiser, and more experienced people may laugh at this realization. They would be right to do so, because it seems so simple. There are exceptions, but as a general rule, our lives are the sum total of the choices we make. It doesn’t matter who we blame or the excuses we offer, there is more control in our possession than we realize or care to admit.
As I look at the situation with Ted Haggard, the lives of friends here in Argentina, and the lives of friends that are suffering, I cannot escape the ecclesiastical message that our choices have consequences. Not all, but many of the messes in life are the result of poor choices. Even when life throws us curve balls, our reactions will determine much of the outcome. The most trying time for me emotionally was the result of a poor decision and a failure to realize it for some time. Conversely, the most rewarding times of life have been the result of thought-out, God-inspired choices.
At times, it seems difficult or unfair to obey God and the laws he gave us. But in comparison to the suffering I see from failure to adhere to his commands, obedience is simple. Sometimes we’re like the child who spends 2 hours making excuses for an unfinished chore that would have taken 5 minutes.
