A friend in a former church that I served used to say of parenting, “Pick your path and live with where it leads.” No parent looks at their newborn and dreams of an emotionally broken, codependent, needy and/or abusive future for their child. No parent in their right mind would do that. Every parent wants the best for their children.
And yet, plenty of children grow up and become emotionally broken, codependent, needy and/or abusive. The difference is the path, not the intent! Often times we make decisions with intended consequences… the outcomes we are trying to accomplish. There are also unintended consequences. Unintended consequences can sometimes be positive, but they may also be negative.
Lately I’ve been trying to ask myself, “What are the potential unintended consequences to this decision?” More often than not it is impossible to see into the future and predict all the consequences of a decision. However, intentionally asking the question helps me look past the decision as a strategic step to address an issue. I have a better chance of keeping the ultimate goal in mind.
Parenting isn’t the only arena in life where the path we choose leads to different destinations with multiple unintended consequences. Some other paths to choose carefully include:
- marriage
- employment
- spiritual growth
- education
- personal finances
The list can go on. Pick you path carefully, it does lead somewhere. There are consequences, intended and unintended to every decision we make.
When did you get so wise? Enjoy reading your blog even tho I don’t always comment.