Seemed Like a Good Idea

Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." As people we do some stupid things which may look like a good idea at the time. And this is in NO way limited to those who don't know God. I have watched Christians, even ones who were thought to be mature or leaders, make choices that sacrificed the long term for the short term. We are more apt to make these decisions when we are under pressure, whether it be time pressure, economic pressure, emotional pressure, or physical pressure. When Sarah and I are having a disagreement and are upset at each other, you think of things to say that will back the other person of and make you feel better. Seems like a good idea, but if you say them, the problem is going to last longer, get bigger, and there will be more emotional/relationship damage to work through. It will be a very short term gain for long term pain. I usually manage not to say them and I have been getting smarter as I get older and am married longer. That goes with all relationships. When the relationship is under pressure, when you are hurt, do you say things that seem like a good idea but are actually going to make things worse. Guys especially can do things like this. They get mad or feel they need to prove something and go do something stupid that can result is physical injury or death. Giant corporations can do it too. Here's a quote from this article about the BP oil spill disaster.

Investigators found that BP was badly behind schedule on the project and losing hundreds of thousands of dollars with each passing day, and responded by cutting corners in the well design, cementing and drilling mud efforts and the installation of key safety devices.

The result is the same for all of us in these situations. What we undertook to help actually made things worse. Think of the money they could have saved and the damage to their own reputation they could have saved if they had done things right. We need to remember that the right thing to do is ALWAYS the right thing to do, even when it looks like it will hurt us in the short run. A bad action, a bad reaction, no matter how justified it feels or how smart it seems, never works out long term. "Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly. But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow, because he does not fear God." (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13)