The Blessing of Consequence

May 2008
The Blessing of Consequence

As I considered writing this paper I wondered what I might learn. The topic seemed too simple, even trite. But as I thought upon the subject I began to see things that opened my understanding. My hope is that you too will see things you may not have seen before. Punching a brick wall with bare fists will result in a consequence that may not be thought of as a blessing. The pain and healing time would appear an inconvenience at least. But one thing is for sure. You would not likely do it again with the memory of the pain still fresh in your mind. Consequence is an important part of this life’s experience. It is only by suffering consequence that we learn and grow toward our desires. If not for the pain, we might spend our lives facing the brick wall and wonder why we never get anywhere. But after experiencing the pain, we reason that there must be a better way, and the search for less painful and more fulfilling methods begins.
Action/reaction is a fundamental law of physics and therefor of mortality. In this way we are able to navigate through this life choosing our course by consequence.
The mortal experience is designed to give us the contrast between good and evil that we might experience it, and by experiencing the contrast, make choices. Happiness cannot be experienced and recognized without the contrasting unhappiness. The contrast makes a fullness of joy possible. Thus, we must know sorrow, pain, disappointment, and grief in order to also know happiness, joy, and contentment.
We are free to choose our actions here, but we are not free to choose the consequences of those actions and it is imperative that the consequence match the choice. If every time we placed a hand on a hot stove we felt the sensation of holding hands with the one we love, we would all have third degree burns on our hands. If chocolate tasted like a dirty shoe an entire industry would not exist today. The consequence is the mechanism that guides us in our choice making, and the more critical the choice, the more dramatic the consequence. Agency allows us to choose, but the consequences of our choices are determined by the eternal law of justice.
There are both positive and negative consequences. Punching a brick wall will always result in the same consequence and the reinforcing nature of repetition will help us change our choices. Negative consequences, or those that result in the loss of agency help us to contrast the choices. Spending a few days in the belly of a fish, would make standing on a sunny hillside seem so much better. Nearly drowning in the ocean storm makes listening and obeying easier when experiencing the calm. Three days with your soul racked in hell makes repentance oh so sweet. All of us could name experiences in our lives that were key to improvement.
It is imperative therefor that we are able to recognize the consequence and learn from it. This is the bases for the plan laid out from the beginning. "And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good.(Learning to recognize and prize the good is what we are here for.) And it is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefor they are agents unto themselves, ......"(Moses 6:55,56) Adam and Eve revealed the Father’s plan to their children in these words, "......blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God." And Eve, his wife, heard all these sayings and was glad, saying, "Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient." (Moses 4:10,11)
The plan is for us to make choices and to experience the consequences, good and bad, and thereby demonstrate our desires. Thus, no one can claim injustice. In the end we get what we want. Many will claim that they want something else, but the choices they have made will be a clear and undeniable record of their desires. (See 3 Nephi 13:22)
We are not without help in this choice making marathon. "...it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night. For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil;..." (Moroni 7:15,16) If followed, the Light of Christ will guide us to make the choices that will lead back into the presence of God. Each choice made under this influence will result in a feeling of peace, and a witness that our choices are good. If continued, we will find there are yet greater choices that will lead us to the gift of the Holy Ghost. Under the influence of the Holy Ghost we will be given the opportunity to make choices that will bring consequences of much greater magnitude, for the Holy Ghost will show all things that we should do (2 Nephi 32:5). Choices made under the influence of the Holy Ghost will bring to us a perfect brightness of hope, a hope in Christ, another comforter. As Lehi described the consequences of this choice, he said, It was "desirable to make one happy", it was "most sweet above all that I had ever before tasted", and filled his soul with "exceeding great joy." (See 1 Nephi 8:10-12) And the angel adds," yea, and joyous to the soul."
On the other hand, if we choose to follow the desires of the flesh we find a path strewn with disaster. Each choice contrary to the spirit leads us ever further from the councils of God, until we know nothing of his mysteries.(Alma 12:11) We may deceive ourselves into thinking that we are happy, or that we are good. We may even declare our righteousness with the sound of a trump, but we can never escape the reality of our choices.
Satan’s ploy is that we shall not surely suffer the consequences. And, at the same time tells us that it’s for our own good that we will suffer the consequences.
He leads us to poor choices, for which there will undoubtably be negative consequences. He then hits us with an array of excuses. It was someone else’s fault, and therefor I’m not responsible for the outcome. He made me do it. Not my problem. Cover it up. Pop a pill. Now we’re even. You owe me. I told you so. She started it. He started it. They started it. It’s not fair. The list goes on. All designed to evade responsibility for our choices.
Satan urges us to avoid the consequences of our choices, and encourages us to ignore the spiritually devastating effect of poor choosing. His purpose is to destroy us by subjecting us to the consequences while convincing us that he is no devil, there is no hell, and we may do as we please without punishment, or suffering, because there is no God and there is no heaven to choose. But, after choosing him for a while, it becomes apparent that he is a liar from the beginning. All who have chosen him have been disappointed in the end.
We will find it tempting, and at times compelling to hide or dull the consequences to our choices. We think that if we do not experience the consequence, it will be as though the choice was not made, or had no impact.
There are a number of ways to temporarily avoid justice, but sooner or later, justice will be served. The danger in sidestepping the consequence is that the lesson is not learned. The brick wall has been punched, if the pain is not felt we might repeat the action, and over time lose the use of a hand. So it is with all choices. Our culture is replete with drugs and services designed to dull or altogether eliminate the consequences to our choices. I believe that this is another of Satan’s ways of dulling our senses, our heart becoming seared as with a hot iron. Maybe, it would be a good thing to suffer a headache from a long night of partying, and eating junk food, rather than taking drugs to dull the consequences. Maybe if we were made to suffer all day, we might decide that there’s something to the Lord’s council, retire early, rise early, and eat right.
As members of the church, we have often taught non-members that we do not use drugs because we believe that our bodies must be free to receive the spirit without distraction. In like manner we must be free to feel the consequences, so that learning can take place.
One must consider carefully then, the consequence of each choice. Then, courageously learn from them, and make better choices. Perhaps, by careful observation, and evaluation we will be able to discern the direction of our choices by what results, and then weigh that against the infallible standard of the Lord Jesus Christ. Obviously, we want to make the choices that will lead us back to God. So, our choices should result in an increase of the spirit. The spirit leads us to more spirit, and we grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day. It’s a simple formula, but requires an awareness, and vigilance. If it fits the standard, then we have chosen well.
We make choices "under the influence." Choosing, goes on constantly. We really are not free from making choices. We are influenced in choosing by one of two spiritual forces, in every choice, without exception. There is no gray area of choosing, where we use our "own" understanding. There really is no such thing. All understanding, and all learning have come to us under influence. We have chosen over the years what we will accept, and what we will not. Our perspectives today, are the compiled results of the "spirit we have listed to obey." This makes what we are, and where we are, and what we are doing, our own choice, and a clear record of what we truly want.
One thing more. Lest we think that we are justified in choosing bad behavior in the name of experience, we must also understand that we are equipt with the ability to observe, and reason. The choices of others, and the consequences they suffer are opportunities for us to learn by observation. The Book of Mormon teaches this principle very well as we are repeatedly reminded to remember, remember.
We have the scriptures before us, and the testimonies of many that make it possible for us to learn many important lessons without having to experience them first hand. Unfortunately, we will choose to experience many of them anyway. The danger in doing this is that while suffering the consequences we may get discouraged, wallow in despair, loose hope and not find the way out.
In conclusion, we will experience many things of our own free will and choice. This is a good thing. It is the plan. We are placed here in a state in which we will undoubtedly sin. Fortunately, there is a way out. The experience of sin, sorrow, repentance and forgiveness makes us as the Gods, knowing good from evil, and a fullness of joy possible. Jesus Christ is the way by which our sins, though they be as scarlet, can be white as wool. He provides the escape. But the repetition of sinful behavior, and willful disobedience will cost us our agency and lead us quickly to an eternal ruin.
So, we can say with Eve, had we not transgressed we could have never known the joy of our redemption, and the Eternal Life that God giveth to the obedient.