“Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”
(Romans 4:20-21 NIV)
A college woman went to her student organization’s faculty advisor, asking for advice, and ended up inadvertently setting off a hornet’s nest of strife and turmoil within the organization.
A young man saw that the car he was driving was about to be T-boned by another car. He had heard that in such a situation you speed up. Unfortunately, when the car was hit, the force of the impact killed his girlfriend in the passenger seat.
A friend was telling a woman about her struggles with attraction for a man who is not her husband. The listener strongly urged the friend to have nothing to do with the attractive man, but to focus on her husband. The friend never spoke to her again.
A man married a woman and they parented their four children to adulthood. Somewhere in the middle of that journey they developed a heart for kids in the foster system, and then adopted eight more children, two of whom are profoundly disabled and in wheelchairs.
All of the results of these situations were unintended consequences. Sometimes the “consequences” are unexpected but beautiful and full of God’s love and grace. Sometimes we must act without knowing what will happen. Sometimes these results are just sad, but occasionally they are deadly. Yet, even when your heart is in the right place, if you don’t think through potential resultant situations or if other people respond in ways you don’t anticipate, the end results can seem negative.
After more than 18 months of not posting to my major social media account, I heard God urging me to share a video today that has moral, societal, cultural, and political implications. I knew that in just posting I was opening myself up to a firestorm, but sometimes in life you have to choose to do the right thing, even if it could have negative consequences. As I have a variety of “friends” on this social media site, I expected some responses to be in support and some to be in opposition. Sure enough, two people told me that the video was full of lies. I responded graciously, thoughtfully, and logically to their comments, not knowing whether these two people I deeply respect and love as fellow children of Christ’s Kingdom would be able to hear me, much less consider my point of view. As I write this, I have heard no response. I can only leave this situation in the hands of the Lord. If each of us are listening, the Holy Spirit will convict us when we are in the wrong, whether me or the others who disagree with me. Either way, the potential consequences to my relationships with these people are unknown.
When Andrew and Simon were fishing by the sea and Jesus called them to come with him, do you think they knew they would become martyrs for God? (Matthew 4:18-19)
When Esther quietly submitted to the order to come to the palace of the pagan king, do you think this future queen knew she would eventually save her people – the Jews – from massacre? (Book of Esther)
When Noah heard God’s directive to build a huge boat in the middle of the desert, do you think he knew that for the next 120 years of building he would be ridiculed by all his neighbors and former friends and, eventually, only his wife and children would believe him? (Genesis 6 and 7)
When Jesus called you to be his child, did you realize what it meant to follow him? Maybe you knew that in saying “yes” to his invitation you would then be able to go to heaven. That’s a good place to start, but did you know then that there is so much more? Did you know that by agreeing to be Jesus’s child you would always have the Comforter and Guide (Holy Spirit) with you and you would become part of a huge, multi-generational, multi-cultural family? Did you know he would continually and lovingly woo you into giving up your “self” so that, little by little, you would become more and more and more like Jesus? Did you know that this transformational process would likely be lifelong, at times very painful, yet so totally rewarding you couldn’t quit?
Unintended consequences. Sometimes they are “good,” and sometimes “bad.” But if we are listening to Holy Spirit and operating under the lordship of Jesus Christ, we can trust that God will work all things for our good.
God,
Thank you for your call to follow you and for the gift of Holy Spirit that you put within your children. Thank you for choosing us, adopting us, and working to transform us into the image of Christ our Lord. When the circumstances of our lives have unknown or unintended consequences, help us to trust you for the outcome. Help us to remember that when we put our faith and hope in you, you will work all things out for our good. We ask these in Jesus’s name, Amen.
“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.'” (Matthew 4:18-19 NIV)
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3-10 NIV)
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified;those he justified, he also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30 NIV)