It happens to all of us.

And we don’t like it.

We end up paying the consequences for our bad decisions.

It’s not a happy experience but it can be a growing experience when we learn from our mistakes.  Its a good choice to grow from our mistakes – otherwise we’re just going to keep making them over and over.  And the consequences pile up.

Even when we’ve learned from our consequences and we don’t do it again, we can still pay the price for that first mistake, that in-the-past decision, for a very long time.

We see Moses paying the consequences in Exodus 32 for his lack of faith way back when he was standing by the bush that was burning but didn’t burn up.  That was where he was making excuses about not speaking well.  So God added Aaron to Moses’ leadership team.

Now we see how well Aaron leads the people on his own.  He flunks out by buckling under popular pressure and forming a golden calf for the people to worship while Moses is up on the mountain with God.

Moses is able to appeal to God’s mercy and save the lives of the people who didn’t worship the calf.  But when Moses came down the mountain, Aaron didn’t even want to own up to what he had done.  He blamed the people.

Bad leadership.

Bad decisions.

Bad accountability.

Bad consequences for Moses.

Fortunately, our consequences don’t lead to thousands of people getting killed.  Our consequences often cause:

– broken relationships.

– children in trouble.

-lack of income.

-addictions.

-pain

-sorrow.

Our perfect Father in heaven lets us pay the consequences for our actions in order to give us the opportunity to learn and grow and thrive.  He doesn’t protect us from these lessons because his desire if for us to become wise and mature.

God never leaves us alone – he walks through these trials with us.

Guiding us – if we’re listening.

Transforming us – if we’re obeying.

And forever loving us.

Thank you, Abba Father.