Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“So he poured upon him the heat of his anger and the fury of war; it set him on fire all around, but he did not understand; it burned him, but he did not take it to heart.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, December 15, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Sometimes we fail to recognize the consequences of our actions. Not that God metes out horrific punishments for our missteps. But the fact is that we all sometimes make bad choices (or fail to make choices) for whatever reason, and it can have a serious negative impact on our lives. In this text, Israel couldn’t connect the dots between its rejection of God and the continual assault of other nations from all sides, thus they didn’t change their ways and the challenges continued.
For years of my life, I was restless, irritable, and discontent, and I used food to self-mediate, which only exacerbated my problems and made me miserable about my body (and worried about my health). I was completely unable to see how my choices or lack thereof were contributing to my issues until I wandered blindly into a 12-Step recovery program for food addiction. There, through the daily spiritual practices and disciplines, I finally recognized how much of my unhappiness was of my own making—and how much were circumstances beyond my control, but over which I could exercise some choice (by removing myself from dysfunctional situations). These days I have tools and people to help me identify when I’m taking or not taking actions that are leading to negative consequences in my life, and I can take steps to rectify the situation. I don’t need to wait until life sets on me “fire all around,” but can take it to heart and work to change myself.
When have I recognized consequences of my actions or inaction and made a positive change in my life as a result?
