Impact

It is easy to forget, ignore, and never consider how actions, decisions, and choices impact others.  We have reasons for doing what we are doing so anything that comes with it is simply something beyond our control!  At times the logic behind momentous actions seems extremely questionable when Monday morning arrives.  Yet even though we wonder, as soon as someone queries us our defensive mechanisms kick in on all fronts! 
 
You see this response in sports heroes caught in a moment of immaturity.  You find it with politicians as they utter words not on her or her script.  It is even evident with friends and family in times of stress.  The impact of what we say and do extends far beyond the moment.  Rarely does one realize that “it was because they had spread the word of this latest God-sign that the crowd swelled to a welcoming parade.”  (John 12.18)
 
I can think of good examples of choices made which went on to touch more lives than I ever imagined possible.  I find myself lost in the reflection, not so much because I am unwilling to celebrate, but haunted by the knowledge that I never considered the impact.  What if the choice had gone wrong?  Would the same lives be touched equally negatively as it turns out positively?  I wish some of my politicians went through the same logic.  I long for the corporate setting which included this type of soul searching at the end of the year.
 
I also remember choices that were less than the best.  It is easy to lose sleep if you include the cost on human life.  As a result, I rarely find myself spending much time in this space.  Again, I don’t find that my reluctance to remember is unusual.
 
We have an opportunity to make a difference.  The difference between brilliant choices and those less so often comes down to one of personal values and priorities.  Am I living for others or worried about my self.  The extension of this into actions, decisions, and choices will have an impact.