While working with people over the years, one of the most reassuring truths I have ever discovered is that we all have the potential to do a better job than we are doing and consequently earn more of the rewards that can be ours. The reason this statement is true is because of a natural law that operates in the universecalled “The Law of Consequences.”

Are you familiar with this law? Do you truly understand that every “action” will have a “reaction” and for every act we perform there is a natural and appropriate consequence?

What I am going to say next is not from my intellect, but from my heart. I feel so sorry for many people I see on the news every single day. The radio, newspapers and television are filled with stories of people who either didn’t know about the “Law of Consequences” or they thought it would not catch up with them when they were committing immoral, unethical, or illegal acts. Unfortunately, what these people failed to realize is that by committing these acts they were just sowing seeds that would sooner or later come up and evil exposed for all to see. 

While working as a businessman with our nation’s public schools, in relation to wrong deeds or actions, I’ve had many students say, “It’s OK to do it so long as you don’t get caught.” Here again, as in my earlier example, these students did not truly understand the “Law of Consequences.” Even if their wrong deeds or actions were never discovered or revealed, they knew about them, which in time would take an even greater toll. We can never escape from who we really are.

Here is something we should always remember. When we commit a serious crime, it’s not something that happens just once and is behind us. It stays with us for as long as we live. Have you ever heard of Benedict Arnold? He became a traitor and tried to sell West Point. The evil first settled in his heart and then it ruined his life. We should be continually and forever be aware of the great “Law of Consequences” that says, “No wrong ever goes unpunished.” For every evil thing we do, there must be a natural and appropriate consequence. Now I ask you, what could be simpler to understand than that? 

But I would do you a real disservice if I did not also point out the positive side of this great natural law. Just as all evil deeds will be punished, all good or righteous deeds will be rewarded. This is the law that allows us to tell our own fortune. When our deeds and actions are based on truth, honesty, and integrity, over time good things will come to us. Now, this is not to say that bad things happen to good people. We all know they do. Here it is not so important what happens to us, but whether we act or react to it. 

The other day a friend and I were talking about all the good things that were happening in our lives, and she made the comment, “Even a lot of good Christian people fail to realize all the blessings they can receive from being of service to others. They just don’t get it.” She is right. If we just look for ways to help other people, with the right attitude and the right motive, more good things will come our way than we ever dreamed possible.

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(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in the Log Cabin Democrat in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated in over 375 newspapers in 35 states. For a personalized copy of “Your Future Begins Today” send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)