Lessons Learned on the Journey

Recently, after finishing a great dinner, I felt delightfully refreshed and comfortable. Then came dessert. I chose chocolate mousse pie. The result - a bloated and miserable feeling, knowing that I had just doubled the caloric content of my entire meal. If I had carefully considered the consequences I might have made a better choice. Or at least I hope I would have!

As an emergency physician, I often witnessed the outcomes of the choices people made without considering the consequences of their actions. The nonchalant attitude toward speeding in a car, too much alcohol, and casual sexual encounters had repercussions that often lasted a lifetime. The result is usually in the form of regret.

Regret raises its ugly head in many arenas of life when the consequences are finally realized. Moses, in a sermon to the children of Israel, emphasized the reality of spiritual consequences, saying, "If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 8:19-20 NIV)

Moses, himself a man chosen and loved by God, knew the painful consequence of leading his people to the Promised Land and being left behind because he had not carefully followed God's instructions.

Consequences -- from chocolate mousse pie to life lessons learned the hard way are a part of living. But the consequences of living apart from God are monumental and can be eternal. I feel duly warned. We all have regrets of one kind or another, let it never be the regret of not turning back to God.