The party was in full swing. She had another drink. And another. Somebody passed around a handful of pills, and with a giggle she downed a couple. That's the last thing she remembers.
A week later, she opened her eyes to a world of white pain. But the pain wasn't the worst of it. It was the lack of pain where there should have been some.
"We're so sorry. We couldn't save your legs," the grim-faced stranger in white informed her. "Quite a smashup you had, young lady. You're lucky to be alive."
She shut her eyes against the thought, against the truth.
That's what she'd done the other night, too. Shut her eyes.
.
Eighteen years old. Life was just beginning. But life as she' had assumed it would be had just ended.
.
Consequences.
.
We hear the word and shrug. Consequences are for other people.
"How long to I have to pay for stupid decisions I made forty years ago?" an angry client demanded. "I get it, okay? I get that I was stupid and made bad choices, but haven't I paid long enough?"
.
How long is long enough?
- How long will that eighteen-year-old be crippled?
- Will there come a point in middle-age when God decides she's suffered long enough and suddenly reattach her severed limbs?
- Can she outlive the serious consequences of her choice?
A bad marriage. Poor parenting skills. Lazy work ethic. Refusal to complete an education. Those choices have serious consequences as well.
That's why God gives us such detailed instructions for living this life. He promises to bless those who pay attention. He hates the consequences of sin, too.
Are temptations dangling just out of reach?
Are you at a crossroads, wondering whether God's way is worth it?
.
Every choice has consequences: pleasant or painful.
Consider the consequences of your pending choice. Are they ones you're prepared to pay?
Be sure you like them: You may have to pay them for a very long time.
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