I So Hate Consequences

I think we can all relate to Relient K’s "I So Hate Consequences". The song talks about forgiveness and fear and responsibility.

And I so hate consequences
Running from you is what my best defense is
Cause I know that I let you down
And I don’t want to deal with that

Have you ever done something wrong and were truly afraid of what was going to happen later? I think we’ve all done that! We have to suffer consequences for our actions. When we do something wrong, we are punished so we will learn not to do that again. Worldly consequences may be terrifying (unwanted pregnancy, death, disease, car crash, arrest, fine, grounding), but eternal ones are even worse!

And after all my alibis desert me
I just want get by, I don’t want nothing to hurt me
I had no idea where my head was at
But if my heart says I’m sorry, can we leave it with that?
Cause I just want for all of this to end

Sometimes we feel like we don’t want to deal with our problems. "I want to get away, get away from all of my mistakes." Running away is not the answer. You need to be responsible and try to make the wrong things right again.
It may feel like you’ve done something so terrible that not even God can forgive you, much less your family and friends. Maybe you ran a red light, stole a DVD, or hurt someone. No matter what you did – no matter how big or small – there is always hope.
That hope is not found in running away, in fighting, or in separating yourself from the world. Your hope is found in Jesus Christ, your Savior. He’ll take you even if you’re broken and scarred.
Remember the parable Jesus tells about the prodigal son? The son takes his father’s money and high-tails it out for the big city where he gambles, parties, drinks, and lives in worldly splendor. He buys his friends, dresses in fine purple clothes, and eats only the finest food and drinks only the finest wine. Then what happened? He suffered the consequences. The son’s money soon dwindled away, and when the money was gone, the friends were gone. He could not even eat the food the pigs ate. Suddenly the thought struck him: his father’s servants were treated better than this! So he went back to his old home, prepared to beg his father for a job as a servant. When he was still some way off, his father saw him and ran to him and through a big welcome home party.
God is ALWAYS willing to take you back! That’s what he wants! He loves you so much that he’ll take all your sin and turn you into something beautiful, pure, and good. He’ll heal the wounds and set you on the right path. It’s called forgiveness, and it’s totally free. There is no fine print. All you need to do is ask Him.

When I got tired of running from you
I stopped right there to catch my breath
Then your words, they cut my ears
You said, "I miss you son, come home."
And my sins, they watched me leave
And in my heart I so believe
The love you felt for me was mine
The love I’d wished for all this time
I said the words I knew you knew
"O God, O God, I needed you.
Gone all this time, I needed you."

Lead them to Love

Some Christians forget that if you want to lead someone to Christ, you have to actually care about them first. Some Christians just "go through the motions", not really caring about the person they're trying to save. If you don't have love, you have nothing. If you don't care about the person you're reaching out for, that person won't listen to you. Ask God to give you the gift of love.

A long time ago in England, a criminal named Charles Peace was arrested. He was a burglar, a forger, and a double murderer. His sentence was death.
As Charles made his way to the gallows on the day of his execution, a chaplian walked by his side. The minister was simply "going through the motions", speaking coldly of the importance of faith and belief. In the course of his oft-repeated speech, the minister mentioned the power of Jesus Christ to save him from sin.
Suddenly, Charles spun around, staring the chaplian right in the eye, and exclaimed, "Do you believe that? Do you REALLY believe that? If I believed that, I would willingly crawl across England on broken glass to tell men it was true."
It's true. We know it is. So, today, ask God to give your an unconditional love for others. It's the first Fruit of the Spirit, and a whole chapter of the bible has been dedicated to love. Think about it. And live it.