Truth My Kids Will Know - Choices Have Consequences

 Lie #8 - "Live for the moment!"

There was a word coined in 2011 that summed up this attitude - "YOLO".

Of course, you know that this was an acronym for "You Only Live Once". People would usually say this just before they did something that was fun or exciting. Saying this was a way of shrugging off whatever long-term consequences came from their decision. The thought was, "If I don't do this now, I may never get a chance to do it again - so I won't worry about the cost!"

The term "YOLO" has faded away from our nations collective memory, but the attitude behind it remains as strong as ever.  Instead of planning ahead, setting goals, and saving for the future - we've become a hour-by-hour, moment-by-moment culture. My wife's favorite show (Parks and Recreation) has a character that sums it up this way: "Treat yo-self!"

This attitude can be seen when people see something they want, and then declare "Why not!"

"I really want this car, and the dealership will give me a line of credit. Why not!"

"This person is attractive, makes me feel good, and they're interested in me. Why not!"

"That job makes me angry all the time, and I felt like quitting...so why not!"

I say that these two words are a statement ...because it's almost never said as a question. It's simply an exclamation; another way to say "Of course I'm going to do this!" This is a horribly sad way for anyone to live. How much trouble could be avoided, if only people would put the question mark back at the end of those two words?

• "Why not?" - because the payment on that car is half  your take-home pay!
• "Why not?" - because that person is a deadbeat that's going to drag you down with them!
• "Why not?" - because you need that job, and the paycheck that goes with it!

Remember this: your choices will always have consequences that will last beyond the moment. Will what you're doing now cost you in the future, or benefit you?

Are You Smarter Than A Bug?

Proverbs 6:6-8 - "Go to the ant you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which having no captain, overseer or ruler provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest."

Acting on instinct alone, ants are masters of preparation.

-Some worker ants dig and maintain tunnels - giving the whole colony a safe place to live.

-Others leave that nest in search of food to bring back - feeding the entire colony.

-Still others feed and care for the queen and her larvae - raising future generations of workers.

They're not told to do any of this. While the queen's pheromones may bind the colony together into a single group, she doesn't actually rule them. There are no commands given - the ants simply do what they do.

Just like the Scriptures say, ant colonies truly do prepare for winter. This can be done in several ways depending on the species:

-Some species, like harvester ants, gather in seeds to feed on through the winter months.

-Most others consume large amounts of foraged material, store protein in their body, and then hibernate safely in their nests.

One incredible master of planning is the leafcutter ant. Foragers in this species live up to their names by cutting sections of leaves off trees and returning them to the colony.

Once the leaf arrives, other workers take it, mash it up, and then "plant" it in underground gardens, where it begins to grow fungus.

Still other workers "harvest" that fungus and feed it to the rest of the colony.

All this is done because of the ant's instinct...very little thought goes into any of it.

And still, these insects are smarter than most people in today's culture.

These tiny bugs seem to realize what too many people forget: what you do today will bring consequences tomorrow.

Don't Lose Sight!

Bear with me, let's look at another tiny object lesson that God provided in your backyard.

Did you know that scientist consider the common jumping spider to be one of the smartest bugs? It's true, these arachnids are exceptional - and here's why:

Most insects and spiders don't retain information. Once something is out of sight, most bugs will instantly forget about it. All potential prey has to do is crawl around a tree trunk, and predators like most spiders would forget they even existed. (Of course this is a shared weakness among bugs, since the prey is just as likely to forget about the danger on the other side of the tree.) Insects and spiders live in a world where "out of sight, out of mind" is an instant reality. 

Jumping spiders are different, though. Even if they lose sight of their prey, they still continue to hunt it down. In fact, if a meal moves out of sight around a tree trunk, jumping spiders have been known to estimate its direction, and meet the prey on the other side of the tree!

In that specific scenario, which of these two do you think our culture can be identified with?

-Are we the spider that keeps its prey in mind, even when it can't be seen?

-Or are we the insect that "lives in the moment" and is blindly unaware that it's going to meet up with the same danger on the other side of the tree?

Unfortunately, most people in my generation (and the generations behind it) are blissfully unaware that their decisions have consequences. 

-You can't do the bare minimum in anything and expect to excel.

-You can't expect a paycheck if you don't show up at work.

-You can't resist authority and expect no consequences.

-You can't act only on how you feel, and then expect to get the same rewards as those who think.

Have you ever seen the shock and surprise that occurs when these people run head-first into the obvious results of their choices? 

The world is telling my kids that their future doesn't matter...."Live for the moment! Why not!" But my kids will have an advantage...they'll know that "My choices will have consequences."