I would classify myself as a fairly independent person. Over the course of my adult life I have lived by myself on more than one occasion. I didn't get married until I was 29. Some of my most refreshing and relaxing times happen when people are the furthest away from me.
We live in a society that promotes independence, in fact it's one of our founding documents. And a certain amount of that is good. When independence goes bad is when the lines between personal freedom and social accountability get blurry. When my personal liberty to do whatever I want to do bumps up against the lives of other people, I quickly see that I don't live in a personal vacuum.
The correlation between actions and consequences is no new thing. It's not hard to convince people that the world is run in large part by that law. All actions have consequences, good or bad. In general, if I eat right and exercise I'll have a healthier and better quality of life than if I eat poorly and become out of shape. There are always exceptions to the rules, but there is a reason they are rules - they prove true the vast majority of time.
However, personal actions don't just have personal consequences. In the diet and exercise example, one's health dramatically impacts those around them. When healthier, a person is generally more energetic, happier, better suited to be active in engaging with the people around them. They have more energy to connect with their spouse or other relationships, they have more energy to play with their kids or help their neighbor on a project. Their body generally feels better and so they're often in a better mood when connecting with the people around them. They also probably sleep better and are therefore better rested and can perform at their job more efficiently and effectively and that promotes a common good with the people and company they work for. It's not hard to see that positive personal decisions don't merely have an effect on a individual alone but have a great impact on the people around them.
Conversely, poor health also has an effect on more than just the individual. If they are feeling sluggish and slow they might not have the energy to connect with their family as they should. They might sleep poorly and be grumpier and less capable of being a productive and valued member at work. They might be spending money on medicine that could be used to the benefit of someone else in need, and so forth. Just like in positive ways, negative personal choices also deeply impact the people around us.
Our lives are connected to everyone around us.
Our decisions are connected to everyone around us.
But it's not just public actions. It's also when we think no one is looking, or no one will be affected by this decision. It's true that there is no truly private, inconsequential choice in my life. My private choices, just as much as my public choices, form who I am - and who I am has a direct impact on the lives of those around me.
God tells us this is so.
Real Talk
Solomon, one of the wisest people to have ever lived, once wrote, "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." (Eccl. 12:13-14) God revealed to Solomon that there is no such thing as secret choices or behaviors. Everything every person does, in their own mind or on a Jumbotron, has been seen by God and we will be accountable to it.
Then there's the sin of Achan (Josh. 7:11). After being instructed by God not to loot the items from the newly defeated city of Jericho, Achan stole things anyway. He hid them in his tent thinking he got away with it, but God knew he was lying. And God's sense of justice and holiness was greater than Achan's (and ours) and so Achan's sin cost the lives of many Israelites. Our private sins aren't just private sins - they have direct consequences to the lives of those around us.
Jesus also tells us that God sees not only our secret sins but our secret obedience (Matt. 6:3-4,6). Even our private worship lives are shown publicly before the audience of God in heaven. Our faithful private choices positively have an effect those around us.
The bottom line is this: our whole lives - both the public and private parts - are connected to the world around us. That means when we choose to be selfish, arrogant, lustful, deceptive, cheap, whiney, discontent or any other self-centered behavior when we are all alone, it has just as much impact on who we are as a person and how we relate to the people around us as if we did it on Youtube. And when we choose the way of integrity, honor, faithfulness, obedience, sacrifice it not only has an effect us individually, but it is directly connected to the people around us.
If you want to see a real video about how our personal choices effect the world around us, watch this. Warning: it's pretty heavy.
