Course Correction

**This is a continuation from last weeks article “two options” and the 3rd excerpt of five that I will post from Andy Stanley’s book..

The primary difference between the prudent and the simple is not what they see but how they respond to what they see. The prudent see danger and take refuge. The simple see danger and keep going.The prudent see danger and change their course. They act on what they see. The simple simply do not. The prudent act as if then is now; as if the future is the present. The simple respond as though tomorrow will always be tomorrow. The prudent respond now.

When the prudent identify behaviors turning into habits, they do something while they can. The simple keep going. When the prudent sense a relationship moving in an unhealthy direction, they do something. The simple keep going. When the prudent see trouble on their financial horizon, they do something. The simple keep spending. After all, didn’t Jesus tell us not to worry about tomorrow?

The proverb closes with a very specific prediction. Actually, it is more like a promise or a warning. “…the simple keep going and suffer for it.” Suffer “for” what? For being oblivious to the obvious. The simple suffer for refusing to act on what they see. They suffer because they live as if there is no connection between the choices of today and the experiences of tomorrow. They overlook the fact that every path has a destination.

This is a truth many people have a difficult time accepting – for themselves, anyway. But like it or not, decisions have consequences. For some behaviors, there is a point of no return. There is a point at which it becomes impossible to sidestep consequences.

When it dawns on us that the undesirable but ever-so-predictable outcome of our choices is bearing down on us, we move into victim mode. Christians start talking about forgiveness as if somehow forgiveness serves as an escape hatch from the outcome of bad decisions. This is when people threaten to sue or countersue. Suddenly we want a second chance. We begin talking about turning over a new leaf. This is when the formerly religious start showing up in church. We are quick to remind the world that nobody is perfect. And if all else fails, we play the fairness card: it’s not fair that this is happening to me!

When we are the ones facing the inevitable consequences of our decisions, it really doesn’t seem fair. But when it’s someone else arriving at the destination his path led him to, all his attempts to avoid the inevitable strike us as a bit amusing. After all, what did he expect? Actually, I know what he expected. He expected to be the exception to the rule.

When the inevitable becomes the unavoidable, it is not unusual for us to start pointing our fingers at God. The same God who inspired a king several thousand year ago to pen the very warning we carelessly ignored. The same God who preserved this warning for us over the course of history so that it would be available to us in multiple languages, versions, covers, and colors. I really don’t think God is to blame.

You’ve heard it. Perhaps you’ve said it: “How could God let this happen to me? I’m a good person. I’ve gone to church. Where’s the love? Where’s the forgiveness?” Well, the love is reflected in the warning. You warn people you love. And experiencing the outcomes of our decisions has nothing to do with forgiveness. If you don’t believe me, think about how your algebra teacher would have responded if you had dropped to your knees at her desk and begged for forgiveness after flunking an exam you didn’t study for. To avoid an awkward moment, she may have extended her hand and pronounced you forgiven. But that wouldn’t change your grade. It may help your relationship, but not your GPA. Forgiveness and consequences are two different things. One does not override the other. Here’s why…

next week.