Consequences

Isn’t compound interest a wonderful thing? Maybe I should restate that. Compound interest is a wonderful thing if you are receiving it instead of paying it! Investopedia says, “Compound interest is the interest on a loan or deposit calculated based on both the initial principal and the accumulated interest from previous periods. In other words, if I invest $100 and it earns ten percent the first year, I’ll have $110 invested the second year earning interest. I’ll earn interest on the interest.

Money isn’t the only thing offering compound interest. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, “Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance.” The bottom line is that good and evil both have consequences.

We tend to think of consequences as a bad thing, but it can be a good thing. If you speed (and get caught), the consequence is a speeding ticket with a hefty fine—bad. If you study hard before taking a test, the consequence is a good grade—good.

I’ve had consequences on my mind a lot lately as we’ve gone through the horrific period otherwise known as the elections. I’m not God, so I can’t see the future and fully know the outcome of our recent decisions, but I do know that our decisions have consequences. It’s probable that our children and grandchildren will reap the consequences of our decisions during this season more so than we, but consequences will come. We can’t just vote for ourselves or blindly choose a candidate or agree with an issue. Our decisions have consequences. 

What about other issues? For example, will I exercise today or eat a bowl of ice cream? I’d rather have ice cream, but what are the consequences of that decision? What about reading or spending time with a friend? What about conversations with our spouse or children? What kind of consequences might we experience from time in prayer or Bible reading?

The decisions we make today will have a huge impact on what happens tomorrow. In other words, you are becoming today what you will be tomorrow. It’s all about consequences. We can pretend like we are free from consequences, but we will only be kidding ourselves.

So, think before you act. Count tomorrow’s cost before you act today. You could save a life (maybe your own) or you can change a life. As Ken Levine said, “We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us.” 

(Illustration 18452388 Kirildobrov; dreamstime.com)