Consider the consequences

Bienhome Muivah *

'But I said, 'should a man like me run away? … I will not go!' Nehemiah 6:9-13

The psalmist though filled with doubts about the goodness of God nevertheless refrain from expressing those doubts to others. He carefully considered what effects his action might have on the family of God. Remember, 'Nothing that we do in life is without consequences'. Someone has put it like this: "Every effect has a cause and every cause produces an effect".

Many of our difficulties in life arise from the fact that we forget the principle that consequences follow our actions. The devil often inveigles us into thinking that the situation we are in is an isolated event, and he gets us to believe that what we do, or are about to do or say, will have little or no effect upon others.

He is exceedingly skillful at getting us to become preoccupied with the thing he puts before us. This one thing on which we focus then takes up our whole attention and we become oblivious of everything else, including the results that may follow our actions.

Troubled though the psalmist was, in his heart he considered the consequences of his actions. And this is what Nehemiah did. As believers, we are never to pretend about anything. Whether we worry, covet, resent, hate, we are to acknowledge the reality of who we are at any given moment. Fully admitting to ourselves and to God that we are angry, worried or full of doubts, is not sin. It becomes sin when we constantly focus on it and allow it to drag us down into despair.

But does this mean that in order to experience emotional health we must let everything out and tell everybody exactly how we feel? The clear answer to that question is 'No', but it is an answer that must be qualified. For example, when seeking help from a counselor or minister, it would be right to share exactly how you feel.

We may express our acknowledged emotions only when such expression is consistent with God's purposes. This is a critical point and it must be understood the cure for repression is not to let it all hang out' but to be selective, expressing only those emotions that are in harmony with God's will.

We must freely admit to God and to ourselves what is happening to us, but then we must carefully and selectively consider whether it is right and in line with God's purposes to share what we feel with others.

Notice that although the psalmist experienced strong feelings of uncertainty, he refrained from expressing these emotions because they would have had a negative effect upon his brothers and sisters. He acknowledged his emotions, but he refused to express them because he knew they would hurt and hinder the family of God.

Expression of our feelings with no thought of another's welfare amounts to sinful, selfish indulgence. We must allow ourselves to feel the full weight of our emotions, but then subordinate their expression to the purposes of God. Only if it is God's will for us to share those feelings with others must we do so.

Thus the apostle could write stinging words of rebuke to the Corinthians church because his words were in harmony with God's purposes.

We have to be on guard here, because whenever we feel angry, and vent out our anger on someone, it is so easy to justify out angry feelings by saying, "God wanted to use me to teach you a lesson". But often than not, if we examine our hearts we will find that our goal was not the will of God but the desire to get those angry feelings out from inside us.

Therefore, selective expression of feeling is a mature and spiritual response, indiscriminate expression is immature and unspiritual. Now coming back to Nehemiah-A false "friends" came to him and told him that he should not risk his life.

The preposition undoubtedly appealed to him, but Nehemiah considered the consequences and stayed where he was. If he hadn't, the whole course of Israel's history would have been changed. This one very principle alone of carefully considering consequences-would be the means of saving us from endless difficulties if we were to take it and consistently apply it.

Remember, consequences follow our actions, so say nothing unless it is helpful. Blessed Sunday!