*By Debbi Anderson, Conservative Ladies of Washington Education Lead.
Consequences. A result or reaction from an action or experience. I don’t know about you, but I sure am getting tired of not seeing any consequences for the actions of some people. In fact, that’s making me angrier than the actions themselves.
When we were younger, consequences to bad actions were an absolute. I stole, I got punished. I lied, I got punished. I did not do my homework or study, I got a bad grade. Whether I was at home or at school, I knew my actions always had consequences. And I trusted that the world worked the same way. If you sped, you got a ticket. If a politician lied, it was a big deal and the media was all over it. If a politician or a celebrity were caught being immoral, they could be outed and removed from their arena! It was a big deal.
When did this change? When did we stop trusting that actions would have trusted consequences? This includes good and bad actions too.
The consequences of studying hard in school would result in good grades, good reports, and possible high chance of getting into a good school. Everyone had the same chance of this. Equality meant equal consequences for the same actions. Not only was it a trustworthy belief, but it was scientific!!! What happened? All the studying to get good grades and good reports means nothing now. What matters is the color of your skin. The equation now seems to be: Color of skin (+/-) your equity rating (+/-) the school’s required percentage of racial equity = chances to get into a good school (if there is such a thing as a “good” school now). Where can we put our trust? Is it a mockery for a parent to tell his/her child to study hard?
Let’s take this into a bigger arena. What are the consequences for us who go to church, vote conservative, stand for our constitutional rights? Pastors are forcibly removed, businesses are closed, vocal conservatives can be jailed for saying the wrong thing. I submit, there are no consequences. Bear with me as I change the meaning a bit. The results of fighting for our rights has been a punishment, a penalty. It is upside down. Good deeds = punishment.
We now have a one-sided government. I think we can all agree that this is not a result of their good actions. It is a result of deceit, manipulation, power mongering, force, and cowardice. Bad deeds = power.
I don’t have a ready response for this, but as usual, I’ve been pondering. If we are to return to having trusted consequences, what needs to happen?
In our homes, keep the actions the same. Don’t bow to how the world is trying to change the consequences. Make sure your children play fair. Make sure truth is a standard. Work hard, study hard. Don’t cheat, don’t steal. Honor each other. Respect your parents. This must be our first place to fight back. This is where the army is built. The consequence is now an army of righteous, intelligent, loyal, wise soldiers.
In our schools, keep fighting at the school board level. The multitude of vocal parents and cowardly school boards is astonishing and so praise-worthy! People are not accepting the penalties schools are handing out (CRT, equity in results, death of innocence of our young children). Parents are not going silently away as the schools change to an equity-based world. It is not the time for parents to sit on their hands and do nothing, nor be an audience to those who stand. Remember, you are fighting to get consequences back to being trustworthy.
As I was dwelling on this, I began thinking of what I’m seeing in the news. It still looks so awful. Resident Biden is still there, Jill is still styling oddly on Vogue, VR Harris is still hostile, hateful and bobbing and smirking. Where’s Pelosi? Is she taking a break from evil? But then I remember, that is what the media is guiding me to see. I have to still believe there are a lot of people out there fighting. If we have a conservative victory, it is certainly not going to be highlighted by the media. The media is still working hard to dissuade us and to teach us new consequences for going against the new norm. Don’t buy into that. Oh, oh. I digress…again.
Most importantly, keep fighting at every place in your life. As I read our posts, I recognize all the places we face consequences for holding to our standards. We can lose our jobs if we insist on our constitutional rights! If we don’t get a vaccine, we can’t go to a university. And on and on. My only suggestion is to keep sharing with each other, keep supporting each other. The biggest power we have to get back to trusted consequences is a united front.
I was told yesterday that my posts on Facebook are met with mockery by some extended family members. I don’t care actually, but I was asked to remove them from my “friends” group because it was uncomfortable for my family. I am surrounded by liberals—clients, neighbors, extended family, friends. Keeping my standards is getting harder. What works for me is the understanding I have of the consequences if I don’t keep my standards. The consequences I focus on is my integrity, my standing before God, my respect for myself, and, frankly, my ability to sleep at night.
My final big statement on consequences is that we need to trust God. He assured us that vengeance is His, He will repay. Romans 12:19. If we are to try to force “our” consequences (aka revenge), we are taking His place. Instead of dwelling on the hate and anger, we need to leave it at His feet. Yea, I know. This is tough. For myself, I would love to see Nancy get her “consequences” publicly. I want to see her writhe and squirm. I’d love to see the turncoat Supreme Court judges face the consequences of their lies and double-standards. But, I don’t see a time certain in Romans. It doesn’t say, “vengeance is Mine; I will repay in two years.”
I am left with the personal objective of strengthening my patience. Unlike the new consequences, God’s Word can be trusted. I know this is not the end. There will be trusted consequences restored—here, there or in the air. My lust for revenge ends here. I really don’t want to see the consequences as they come face to face with God. Lord, be with them and change them before there is no more chance to change. And I will continue to remember I must stay on track so my consequence is standing before the Lord and being met with, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
