Consequences

On the news tonight, a 30 year old man was arrested for drunk driving, not for the first time. But this time, his car hit a school bus and then ran over a 13 year old girl who had just gotten off the bus. His consequences are now so serious, he may be in prison for the rest of his life. And a young girl's life was ended because of his lack of impulse control.

While it doesn't seem like a big deal when a child is young, the pattern of impulse control, or lack thereof, can be instilled pretty early.  Hayleigh, my 4 year old granddaughter, had snack privileges taken away yesterday and today – a consequence for being disrespectful. So today, when Rebecca and I picked her up, she had a Christmas Sack (decorated paper bag) with candy inside. She wanted to eat the candy as soon as we picked her up. Rebecca reminded her of the consequence – no snacks for 2 days. I was quite impressed, when she put the bag down. Had she started to eat the candy, she would have had more consequences.

I wonder if that man had had more severe consequences earlier in the game, would that young girl still be alive? Would his family and her family now be suffering so much loss?

I look at my own life. I had the signals from my body that I needed recoup time. I behaved as if I could continue to fill my schedule and maintain the pace of a 34 year old, instead of living with the reality of a 64 year old body – a healthy 64 year old, to be sure, but still 64. And so my consequence was to alternate sweating/chilling, aching bones instead of the leisurely time I could have enjoyed.

There are consequences when I behave badly or indulgently, and there are also consequences when I behave well or responsibly. The consequences are different, but there are consequences either way.